[FONT="]Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.[/FONT]
[FONT="](Chinese proverb) [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The long awaited Chinese general elections took place in the first half of October 1933. The initial intention to have the whole country cast the ballot on one day had eventually been abandoned as preparations proceeded. There were two days, October 5th, when the voters could directly elect the deputies of the provincial assemblies, which in turn were to elect the delegates for the federal house – or Senate, and October 10th, when the people elected the electors, which in turn were to elect the deputies of the national house – or Parliament – of the National Assembly. Finally, on October 16th, the provincial assemblies elected the senators and the electors the parliamentarians. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Preparations for the elections had taken almost two years since the fall of General Chiang ‘s rule, and there had been many issues to be considered. Should analphabets be allowed to vote? Should women be allowed to vote? At which minimum age should a person be allowed to vote and at which minimum age could a person become eligible? Should there be a provision that only tax payers were allowed to vote? – The Round Table had seen many heated debates, but eventually a very liberal electoral edict had been the result. The Indian Federation would cease to be the largest democracy on earth and be overtaken by – the Chinese Empire.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The question whether the Great Qing Empire should be allowed to continue or be replaced by the Second Chinese Republic had been another highly contentious question. That the Xuantong Emperor had succeeded siring a heir to the throne in his unhappy and listless attempts caused by General Chiang – and that China could claim to be the oldest monarchy on earth – had finally turned the balance. While the left – the Marxists and socialists – still had voted for a republic, the other groups represented at the Round Table had chosen to retain monarchy. After all, there was not the slightest danger that Emperor Puyi would ever meddle with politics.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]When the dust finally settled at the ballots, the members of the Round Table had to acknowledge that a group not represented by them had won the elections: the peasants’ parties – there were five of them – had won on provincial and national level. In several provinces they were able to form the government all alone; in most other provinces no government was possible without them. In Parliament, they provided 421 from a total of 937 representatives; and in Senate 48 of the 100 senators. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Unified Left – Marxists and socialists – came off second best, winning 208 seats in Parliament and 23 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Nationalists, a mixture of right-wingers and militarists, scored third with 143 seats in Parliament and 17 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The United Liberals, where laissez-faire capitalists and social-liberals had joined forces, got 101 seats in Parliament and 8 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]69 Parliament seats were taken by independent candidates, as were 4 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Invariably, there were many allegations of fraud and vote-buying, but generally the elections had gone well – and most national and international observers agreed that the results were acceptable. In the end, 6 Parliament deputies were disqualified – and replaced in by-elections, lowering the seats of the Combined Peasants to 415, while raising those of the Unified Left to 212 and the United Liberals to 103.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]By early November 1933, the shuffling for a majority in Parliament was in full flow. Feng Hào, the leading man of the Combined Peasants, of course demanded to be elected for Imperial Chancellor, although many people thought he lacked the education necessary for this office.[/FONT]
[FONT="]However, nobody becomes the leader of a huge mass party without the ability to broker power and manipulate fellow citizens. Feng might lack experience on the political floor and education, but he did not lack assertiveness and thirst for power.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The people of the Unified Left were far too intellectual for Feng and his cronies; thus, although the Marxist-socialists propagated land reform, negotiations with them soon bogged down. The Nationalists, who had the popular Generals Liou and Bai and the highly respected Zhèng Xiàoxū, once chancellor of Manchukuo, in their ranks, took advantage of this and paid court to Feng.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Thus, slowly and intricately, a conservative coalition between the Combined Peasants and the Nationalists was forming in endless talks and negotiations.[/FONT]
[FONT="](Chinese proverb) [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The long awaited Chinese general elections took place in the first half of October 1933. The initial intention to have the whole country cast the ballot on one day had eventually been abandoned as preparations proceeded. There were two days, October 5th, when the voters could directly elect the deputies of the provincial assemblies, which in turn were to elect the delegates for the federal house – or Senate, and October 10th, when the people elected the electors, which in turn were to elect the deputies of the national house – or Parliament – of the National Assembly. Finally, on October 16th, the provincial assemblies elected the senators and the electors the parliamentarians. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Preparations for the elections had taken almost two years since the fall of General Chiang ‘s rule, and there had been many issues to be considered. Should analphabets be allowed to vote? Should women be allowed to vote? At which minimum age should a person be allowed to vote and at which minimum age could a person become eligible? Should there be a provision that only tax payers were allowed to vote? – The Round Table had seen many heated debates, but eventually a very liberal electoral edict had been the result. The Indian Federation would cease to be the largest democracy on earth and be overtaken by – the Chinese Empire.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The question whether the Great Qing Empire should be allowed to continue or be replaced by the Second Chinese Republic had been another highly contentious question. That the Xuantong Emperor had succeeded siring a heir to the throne in his unhappy and listless attempts caused by General Chiang – and that China could claim to be the oldest monarchy on earth – had finally turned the balance. While the left – the Marxists and socialists – still had voted for a republic, the other groups represented at the Round Table had chosen to retain monarchy. After all, there was not the slightest danger that Emperor Puyi would ever meddle with politics.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]When the dust finally settled at the ballots, the members of the Round Table had to acknowledge that a group not represented by them had won the elections: the peasants’ parties – there were five of them – had won on provincial and national level. In several provinces they were able to form the government all alone; in most other provinces no government was possible without them. In Parliament, they provided 421 from a total of 937 representatives; and in Senate 48 of the 100 senators. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Unified Left – Marxists and socialists – came off second best, winning 208 seats in Parliament and 23 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Nationalists, a mixture of right-wingers and militarists, scored third with 143 seats in Parliament and 17 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The United Liberals, where laissez-faire capitalists and social-liberals had joined forces, got 101 seats in Parliament and 8 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]69 Parliament seats were taken by independent candidates, as were 4 in Senate.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Invariably, there were many allegations of fraud and vote-buying, but generally the elections had gone well – and most national and international observers agreed that the results were acceptable. In the end, 6 Parliament deputies were disqualified – and replaced in by-elections, lowering the seats of the Combined Peasants to 415, while raising those of the Unified Left to 212 and the United Liberals to 103.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]By early November 1933, the shuffling for a majority in Parliament was in full flow. Feng Hào, the leading man of the Combined Peasants, of course demanded to be elected for Imperial Chancellor, although many people thought he lacked the education necessary for this office.[/FONT]
[FONT="]However, nobody becomes the leader of a huge mass party without the ability to broker power and manipulate fellow citizens. Feng might lack experience on the political floor and education, but he did not lack assertiveness and thirst for power.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The people of the Unified Left were far too intellectual for Feng and his cronies; thus, although the Marxist-socialists propagated land reform, negotiations with them soon bogged down. The Nationalists, who had the popular Generals Liou and Bai and the highly respected Zhèng Xiàoxū, once chancellor of Manchukuo, in their ranks, took advantage of this and paid court to Feng.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Thus, slowly and intricately, a conservative coalition between the Combined Peasants and the Nationalists was forming in endless talks and negotiations.[/FONT]