Mobian Liberal Democrats

The Mobian Liberal Democrats (MLD; Démocrates libéraux möbiens, DLM; Möbische Liberaldemokraten, ML)) are a political party in Mobius the promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism, and limiting the size and scope of government. The party was conceived and formed on May 30, 1976 by an amalgamation of classical liberal parties throughout the archipelago. The founding of the party was prompted in part by the formation of Mobius several days prior.

The party generally promotes a classical liberal platform, in contrast to the People's Democratic Party's radical liberalism and progressivism, the Mobian Justice Party's christian democracy, and the United Front's conservatism. Karl Schlaks, the party's leader, claims that the Mobian Liberal Democrats are more culturally liberal than the People's Democratic Party, more centrist than the Mobian Justice Party, and more fiscally conservative than the United Front. Its fiscal policy positions include lowering taxes, abolishing the Royal Revenue Service, decreasing the national debt, allowing people to opt out of the welfare system, and eventually eliminating it, in part by using private charities. Its cultural positions include ending the prohibition of illegal drugs, advocating criminal justice reform, supporting same-sex marriage, ending capital punishment, and liberalizing gun control laws.

As of 2021 it currently has no members who are in political positions, and it is the fifth-largest political party in Mobius by membership count. The party was once one of the three major parties in the country, even becoming the ruling party after the 1988 election, but support and membership collapsed after the 2004 election after the party began promoting Pro-Europeanism, with many of the former members going on to support the Mobian Justice Party, and the United Front. However in 2022, the party began to experience a sharp increase in popularity in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine with moderate United Front voters pledging support for the MLD after the former party's open support of Russia's actions in the invasion as well as the latter party purging the membership of its more radical members.

Political positions
The MLD is described as liberal, classical liberal, conservative-liberal, and liberal-conservative. The MLD is a predominantly classical-liberal party, both in the sense of supporting laissez-faire and free market economic policies and in the sense of policies emphasizing the minimization of government interference in individual affairs. The party has also been described as neoliberal. Scholars of political science have historically identified the MLD as closer to the MJP than to the PDP on economic issues but closer to the PDP and the Greens on issues such as civil liberties, and foreign policy, though with a unique stance on education and defense.

The MLD supported the legalization of cannabis in Mobius when it was still illegal and opposes proposals to heighten internet surveillance.

The MLD supports same-sex marriage in Mobius. As early as its founding, the MLD favoured legalizing it on the basis of Article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, arguing that same-sex marriage does not harm others, and that allowing it would assure that they would fully enjoy the same natural rights granted to each citizen.

The MLD is fully supportive of European integration. In its 2004 campaign manifesto, the MLD pledged support for closer relations and eventual membership of the European Union.

Support base
The party drew its support from professionals and self-employed Mobians. When its support collapsed in 2004, the party was reduced to being a pro-EU thinktank.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the MLD had the right-wing faction that was positioned to the right of the MLD, this faction adhered to a "third way" between capitalism and socialism. This right-wing faction wound up becoming the beginnings of the United Front support base.