Conservative Party (Santa Dominica)

The Conservative Party, commonly known as the Tories are a centre-right political party in Santa Dominica. They constitute the Official Opposition in the Santa Dominican Parliament. They are arguably the most successful political party in Santa Dominican history, controlling the government for a total of 29 years since the country's independence in 1952. Their current leader is Rosa Anand.

History
The Conservative Party was founded in 1952 when it was known as the Nationalist Party. They were the main political force advocating for Santa Dominican independence. However, despite farther left independence fighters, the Nationalists supported remaining a dominion of the British Empire. They constituted the first elected government of the country, with Nationalist prime minister William Carson being elected shortly after independence. Despite the founding father's connection to the Conservative party, nowadays see him as a uniting figure in the country's history with little to no political baggage. The party grew out of an alliance of urban middle-to-upper class Anglophones (English-speaking people), religious voters, and rural voters.

From the beginning, the Conservative Party was deeply tied with Catholicism and its early successes can be attributed to a large amount of support from Santa Dominican Catholics. The party's colour blue was chosen due to its significance in the Catholic and Christian faith in general. However, despite this, the party has gradually distanced itself from its religious past in order to be more attractive to modern voters. It is an officially secular party.

Ideology
The Conservatives have traditionally advocated for a smaller welfare state or no welfare state at all. They have supported privatising railways and infrastructure projects, lowering taxes for businesses and citizens, more funding for the military, more rights for English and English-speakers, and restricting the number of abortions in the country.

Traditional Base
The Conservative Party's traditional base includes Christian voters, rural voters, wealthier voters, and small business owners.