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Was there ever a mention of political parties in either the Old Republic or New Republic or was the entire system based on charaisma, like in Russia.

Also, are Senators nominatied by local planetary governments or do they simply announce they intend to run and gather their own campaigns for the popular vote?

In a government that large with so many galatic issues, there should be major parties somewhere.

I was personally under the impression that Padme, Bail, et al made up a sort of "Loyal Opposition" party, like some parliamentary systems have.

Toward the end of the Republic there were two major parties-- the Core and Rim factions. Three guesses what their respective platforms were. There was also a militaristic faction, which tended to be cross-party.

Civil War Man wrote:I was personally under the impression that Padme, Bail, et al made up a sort of "Loyal Opposition" party, like some parliamentary systems have.

I would say that that was more of an alliance or demonstration, not an acrual party. A party must field specific party candiates, have long term party members, and have a defined platform. That group only had a platform.

It seemed to me that alliances shifted depending on the issue.

The New Republic at least is known to have had at least three political parties active by the time of Planet of Twilight, in 48 GR/13ABY, viz., the Rationalist Party, the Rights of Sentience Party, and the Daysong Party. The Rationalists were generally regarded as technophilic, pro-business free-marketeers (or "strip-mining capitalists," as described by their opponents) who were remained powerful and influential both in the New Republic and "in nearly every piece of the Empire still big enough to field a fleet"; the Rationalist floor leader in the New Republic, Senator Q-Varx (Calamari) was a member of the New Republic Council. The Rights of Sentience Party, in contrast, were more civil rights-oriented, and were generally rivals to the Rationalists; there were few details about them other than their general opposition to the Rationalists, except that they were less inclined to support intervention abroad. The Daysong Party was a radical splinter of the Rights of Sentience, which contended that the use of an honor guard was "a form of servile humiliation" and "should be replaced by droids"; they also "objected violently to the synthdroids too ... on the grounds that synthflesh was living and had rights as well."

Given that the Empire was not a one party state and the New Order Party did not have the ability to simply steamroll oppositionists on member states and stifle dissent in the Senate, it seems likely that other interstellar political parties existed during the Imperial era; the Rationalists' apparent comfort with Palpatinist and Imperialist states in the late 40s suggests that they would be not disagreeable to a coalition with the Party. One might furthermore suspect the laissez-faire Rationalists of connection with the free market Loyalists of the pre-Clone Wars era, like Senators Ainlee Teem and Aks Moe of the Congress of Malastare.

Thanks for the info man.

After watching AOTC today I heard them mention a Loyal Opposition which Padme and Organa were a part of, so there could be during AOTC a Loyalist Opposition party perhaps matched against a Separatist party and a hard-line Loyalist party.