Tripolarism

Tripolarism, in Talossan Tripartidariă, was an era of Talossan politics that followed the post-Reunision dichotomy between the RUMP and the centre-left coalition.

It was characterised by the presence of three roughly equivalent parties, covering distinct parts of the political spectrum, each of which could reasonably hope to win a plurality in a general election:

• the monarchist, conservative RUMP;
• the Moderate Radical Party of Talossa (joined by the Talossan National Congress during the 49th Cosa, and followed by AMP and MRA during the 53rd Cosa);
• the republican Free Democrats of Talossa.

Beginning: 49th Cosa

Tripolarism took shape after the collapse of the centre-left coalition in the 48th Cosa, as the nation entered the elections for the 49th Cosa with no real prospects of any collaboration between the major parties being possible. The Free Democrats and MRPT had fell out, and the latter had initially planned to sit out the following term on the crossbenches rather than forming another coalition. This was later reversed, with the MRPT entering an agreement with the Talossan National Congress to form an unofficial "third pole" and support each other in negotiations. Meanwhile, the RUMP and Free Democrats remained ideologically polar opposite, and little chance of the parties governing together stood. Ultimately, the FreeDem won their first ever plurality, but it again fell to the second-highest ranked party, the RUMP, to lead a new Cabinet as they formed a coalition with MRPT and TNC.

Center: MRPT-FreeDem coalition governments

The central part of tripolarism, during the 50th to 52nd Cosas, was characterised by the MRPT winning strong pluralities and choosing to coalesce with the Free Democrats once more, with the RUMP relegated as the main opposition.

End: MRPT and RUMP dissolve

A first break with "classical" tripolarism happened with the dissolution of the Moderate Radical Party of Talossa in early 2019; though its two remnants, Moderate Radicals Arise! and Awakening and Magnifying Passion, together held about a third of seats in the 53rd Cosa and both provided external support to the minority First Schivâ Cabinet.

In any case, the dissolution of the RUMP in late 2019 marked the unequivocal end of tripolarism. The December 2019 General Election saw six parties contesting seats, with only the FreeDems having realistic chances of leading a government. This ushered in a string of strong FreeDem pluralities that lasted from 2020 to mid-2022.