Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 35: Dissolution of National Assembly

As he watched the guards send the cabinet away, Ferdinand also breathed a deep sigh of relief. After all, it was Stambolov who helped him to the top. Ferdinand really did not want to go this far if he did not have to.

But politics was so cruel that he could not afford to take half a step backward. Even so, Ferdinand chose to show mercy.

Ignoring the crowd's surprise, Ferdinand continued, "Gentlemen, you can now withdraw your gaze. It is still clear that the cabinet led by Mr. Stambolov has made excellent efforts for the development of Bulgaria with the results of its earlier work. May God bless them with a speedy recovery!"

"As for the later work, the cause of the hectic disease may have interfered with their sanity. Doing a lot of stupid things against their hearts! But I believe that people will not be bothered with the people who are sick. The Bulgarian population is tolerant and will surely forgive them!"

"According to the Bulgarian Constitution, the cabinet now no longer exists. In order to deal with what comes next, I have decided to form a temporary cabinet until the end of this term upon re-election!"

The Liberals paled as Ferdinand did not give them a chance to re-form the cabinet, much to their dismay.

Many people began to move, and the crowd suppressed by Stambolov for a long time could not hold back now.

"Your Highness, isn't it supposed to be our Liberal Party that forms the cabinet?" Holmes stood up and asked Ferdinand.

Other Liberal members of parliament have also expressed their dismay as if they will not give up if they are not given a reason.

Before Ferdinand could say anything, another member of parliament jumped out. Archbishop Kliment, a clergy member, stood up at once and argued, "According to the Bulgarian Constitution, what His Highness did was perfectly legal!"

"As a result of the previous cabinet's numerous constitutional offenses, if it hadn't been confirmed that Stambolov and others, had been mentally ill, they would be in jail by now! The Liberals have forfeited the right to continue forming the cabinet by their failure to stop the cabinet's unlawful actions."

At once, it gained the support of a group of legislators, who had long been upset by the Stambolov government's reign of terror.

If they keep the Liberal Party in power, who knows if they will continue to purge the dissidents. Maybe one day they will be taken away by the police.

It is better to choose to support Ferdinand, at least not the enemy, and cooperate. It is possible to get a position in the cabinet.

The two sides argued, with the Liberal members of parliament outnumbered and the opposition holding up the banner of the law and arguing their case.

Ferdinand instantly slapped the table and roared, "Order!"

"This is the National Assembly, not a market, so whoever makes trouble again, get out!"

"I now decree that Liberal Party hereby revoked as the ruling party due to repeated abuses of the Constitution during its time in power! At the same time, due to the arrests of several legislators and the fact that the number of members of the National Assembly is below three-quarters, I have decided to dissolve the National Assembly and hold a new election!"

After hearing this news, the following faces are different. There are happy and sad.

Liberal members of parliament immediately paled. They all knew that it was over. Their names were already stinking in the streets due to the recklessness of the Stambolov government. There was no chance of winning.

Just now, everyone was busy fighting for power and profit. How did they not expect Ferdinand would just pull the plug? They should know that the Liberal Party has been the main force supporting Ferdinand's succession to the throne. Most of the other political forces in Bulgaria are pro-Russian and were his opponents before.

But politics is such a comedy! Before Ferdinand succeeded to the throne, the pro-Russian faction was against him.

Now that the big picture is settled, Ferdinand is already the legitimate Knyaz of Bulgaria. The basis for pro-Russian resistance no longer exists.

Instead, the Liberal Party, which previously supported Ferdinand, became a stepping stone on his path to power.

The point is that the Liberals who did not wake up in time still used him as a rubber stamp, and now it will be tragic.

The other MPs, on the other hand, exuded a victory gaze. The ruling Stambolov cabinet actually fallen together with the Liberal Party collectively.

The Bulgarian political landscape is about to face a major reshuffle. To them, this is a godsend. If they don't take action, they will be fooled in the head.

After looking at the chaotic crowd, Ferdinand didn't say anything else and left the meeting directly. He knew that when it exposed the massacre, the Liberal Party was truly finished.

The news could not flow out from him to avoid suspicion, but he had to go with the flow and let it spread freely.

A street tabloid in Sofia, which has long been in print, was forced to close its doors some time ago due to a government crackdown.

It was lucky to be targeted by Hoover and then absorbed and made a timely escape by having run away.

Now it's time to show its value to the new boss, and the reveal of the massacre is the first bullet.

The workers were hesitant at first. However, after seeing the photos of the massacre, they stirred up the anger against the government in them, and they got to work right away.

Like the new boss said, to expose the news, the Knyaz saw the need to dissolve the cabinet. The arrogant and bossy police officers have to follow the bad luck, and everyone can live a good life.

The former members of parliament, who had just left the gates of the National Assembly, received this shocking news, and many were stunned!

Those who were still skeptical are now saying that the cabinet members are really crazy. Otherwise, who would dare to do this? Killing tens of thousands of people at once, and none of them are ordinary people.

One can think about it. The news that Ferdinand dismissed the cabinet and dissolved the parliament can reap a big wave of prestige.

Back at the palace, Ferdinand's tense heart finally relaxed. Just now, he was distraught that there was a scandal of a member of parliament violently beating the monarch.

Well, it's a good thing nothing happened. Now it's safe to take stock of the harvest. The Liberals have reached the point where everyone is crying out for help.

The opposition surely won't mind and put the label of the butcher party on them. The big trouble is that each of them is left to their own devices, and now they have no effort to seek Ferdinand's lousy luck.

"Bitter hatred year after year to embroider the golden thread, for others to make a wedding dress.1)" This line is a good way to explain Stambolov's current mood; the effort to fight to carry the blame, while Ferdinand sits back and enjoys his success.

On the road to Vienna, Stambolov had a feeling of "wandering for five miles2)". He knew that if there were no accidents, he would never have the chance to set foot on this land again in his life.

It is not so easy to end things, so many people have died, and the government always has to explain. The cabinet has been sent away. Although Ferdinand gave it a name of mental illness, it is not thought to be over.

With so many government officials, there are always a few to be thrown out in the charge. There is also that huge amount of property, and there are not a few people who want to take note.

Translator:

1) This poem is from "The Poor Girl" by Qin Taoyu, from the Tang Dynasty. The poem recalls those scholars who spent all their time offering advice to their superiors, yet they were reduced to the lower ranks - perhaps the poet's self-lament. The poem is sad and sorrowful, reflecting the anger and injustice of the weak and poor scholars in feudal society when the world does not need them.

2) The whole line is "The peacock flies southeast and wanders for five miles". The poem is from Han Dynasty. It means someone is very sad to be left and has a very longing feeling.