| abstract | - The Labour Party is a political party in the Commonwealth of Rutania. Formed in 2571, it has been the principal party of the left since the mid 2580s, and has close ties with the trade union movement. Unlike other Rutanian political parties the Labour Party nominates its party leader for the post of Head of Government, and not Head of State. Consequently, the leader of the Labour Party will always hold a Congressional seat, not the Presidency. Under article II of the party's constiution the party leader is compelled to stand for re-election after each election cycle. Following its formation in 2571 the Labour Party held a special conference in Karlsdorf, subsequently the location of its Headquarters, and a Labour Party stronghold, to elect a leadership team using the Single Transferable Vote system. Some 3,000 delegates were present, with 50% representing affiliated trades unions and societies, and 50% representing party branches. The post of party leader, as well as all shadow cabinet positions, were voted upon, with Joseph Smith, representing the left of the party, emerging victorious in the leadership ballot. His main rivals were the socialist-feminist Rosetta Mare, also from the 'hard-left' of the party, and Karl Blucher from the social democratic wing ('soft-left') of the party. In the first round of voting Smith took 1,490 votes, Blucher 852, and Mare, 658. Mare was subsequently eliminated, with the second round of voting giving victory to Smith by 2,090 to 860 votes, with 50 of Mare's votes not transferable. The 2573 General Election was widely considered a set back within the party, with Smith's 'Socialism in our time' message failing to attract many voters. Whilst more recent Rutanian political historians have accredited the defeat in 2573 to the party's relatively new status, as well as the initially slow rate of trade union affiliation, and, as a consequence, low profile, it did lead to widespread speculation that Smith and his 'hard-left' message were to blame. The post-election conference in August 2573 saw the party's second leadership election held under article II of the Labour Party Constiution. Smith, damaged by the recent election result was defeated by a coalition of soft-left and centrist party members, with Karl Blucher winning 1,994 votes to Smith's 1006. The conference was perhaps most notable for demonstrating the split between the more left-wing dominated party branches, and the more right-socialist/social-democratic trade union wing, with Smith winning 79% of his votes from party branches. The failure of Blucher's conciliatory centrist message to increase substantially on Smith's hard-left message saw him resign the leadership, and Smith elected to the post of party leader without competition. The Labour Party advocates a universal public healthcare system. The party belives health to be a right and not a privilege, and that high quality care must be provided to all regardless of an individuals level of financial wealth. The party partially succeeded in its goal to achieve universal public healthcare by successfully introducing, and pushing through Congress, the 2598 Health Reform Act. Although the Labour Party's more radical proposals were dropped in order to secure the backing of the right-of-centre Rutanian Republican Democratic Forum (RRDF), the implementation of the Health Reform Act has seen the creation of a publicly run and accountable National Health Service which now operates alongside the private health sector. The party supports abortion rights for women, and in 2583 succeeded in repealing the previous abortion legislation passed by the RRDF which permitted a legal abortion to occur only during the first trimester. The new legislation introduced by the Labour Party, which remians in force as of October 2602, permits legal abortions to occur during both the first and second trimester. The party's manifesto also advocates that contraception be provided freely by the government in order to cut down on unwanted pregnancies and to prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. In addition, the Labour party is supportive of social and economic equality on health grounds, pressing for greater equality in order to prevent women from having to seek an abortion as a consequence of the social or economic situation they may find themselves in. Its programme of social and economic equality, coupled with a government sponsored contraceptive programme, has however been controversial, and has been widely attacked by the dominant centrist, right-of-centre and classical liberal parties in Congress.
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