Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 87: Election Preparation

Time is passing quickly, and it is October. Due to the economic crisis, the delayed Bulgarian general elections are about to begin.

In fact, since the beginning of 1892, the tension of the Bulgarian elections began to heat up. The political parties, which had been quiet for several years, began to sharpen their fists and prepare for the big fight.

Despite the mood in Bulgaria, which has become in discord with political parties, it still does not dampen their interest in political involvement.

However, the sudden economic crisis disrupted all this. Nobody cares about the election when everyone is so busy with themselves! It was awkward because it was hard to apply for the venue and set up the stage, but there was no audience!

One should know that the Bulgarian government now regulates public opinion. However, it is much tougher than before, and the newspaper is liable for the content of the news.

The political money that prevails in other countries, and the usual spending campaigns, do not work in Bulgaria now.

In order to contain the collusion between political parties and capitalists, Ferdinand issued a clear law that political money was equal to bribery.

Moreover, the fine is quite severe. Once found, police will confiscate all illegal profits. They will strip that person in question of his political rights for life. He will be tried in court according to the amount.

With small hands, the Bulgarian capitalists have no guts to challenge the government. Many have tried to force Ferdinand's hand to step down, and the result is a lesson in patriotism.

Nowadays, political parties in Bulgaria can be summed up in one word, "poor". They are not poor in any sense of the word. There is no income other than the income from party fees.

It is why political parties are now played by the rich. Ordinary civilians cannot afford to pay even the most basic party fees. There is a fault line in Bulgaria's political parties.

Newspapers now have a hard time. Since Ferdinand came to power, newspapers have been liable for the truth or falsity of news about the country's affairs.

In this case, who dares casually involved in politics and has to pay for play once involved. Might as well focus on entertainment news?

Although there are not so many entertainment stars these days, poets, writers, and so on are also popping up, so they can hype them up!

Now, except for a few newspapers that the government has absorbed, most of the others have reformed. Some have started serializing novels, some have begun serializing comics, and some have created magazines to promote heartwarming stories.

Instead, it has promoted the development of Bulgarian culture. For this type of media, Ferdinand's stance is clear. That is, he strongly favors. In addition to low taxes for the main issues, the Ministry of Culture awards and promotes their spread to foreign countries.

...

In order to fully cope with the economic crisis, Ferdinand firmly announced the delays in the general election. Now that the economic crisis has ended, the public is again turning their focus to the general election.

After all, it is a parliamentary election. It is difficult not to be lively when it collides with the cabinet election! And this time, personal status to run for election is not limited. Ferdinand revised the election law.

First, the candidates must have Bulgarian citizenship and be at least thirty years old. Second, they must have no criminal record and no major moral problems, have a secondary school education or higher. Third, they must be physically and mentally healthy. Fourth, they must love their country and have made their own contributions to Bulgaria. Fifth, they must have lived in the country for twenty consecutive years before running for office.

Originally Ferdinand also planned to engage in thirty-five weeks but, taking into account the age of the interim cabinet members, given up decisively. He cannot hit their own face!

The requirements for voters have also changed: long-time residents with Bulgarian citizenship; no criminal record, no major moral problems; education above elementary school level, love for Bulgaria, having contributed to the country; between thirty and sixty-five years of age and mentally fit.

Ferdinand knows that young people are the most easily fooled. And from time to time, it is easy to be impulsive. What if someone takes advantage of it? To know the Great War can not be far away. It is still middle-aged people are more reliable to weigh the pros and cons.

Moreover, Ferdinand placed special emphasis on contribution and claimed the equality of rights and duties. He added patriotism and a moral requirement, all in limiting the growth of party power.

Likewise, to show the progressive side of democracy, Ferdinand also opened up the right to vote for women for the first time, even though it was difficult to have female voters in Bulgaria at that time. But in the 19th century, it was a great feat to clarify the equal political status of men and women in law.

Ferdinand thus tossed a turnover down as a third of the Bulgarian voters and fewer people meet the criteria to run for office.

At the time, there were some twists and turns, not least over the issue of women's suffrage. But with Ferdinand's strong advocacy, it passed without a hitch.

The granting of the right to vote to women was a major event in Europe and the United States. Bulgaria, which is known as a conservative country, was at the forefront of the feminist liberation movement in the world.

Ferdinand became a "friend of women" and was supported by the feminists of his time. He gained a large number of female fans and was honored by the International Council of Women, although he did not receive the award.

Just after the economic crisis, Sofia is still alive with hype. However, people are much less eager about the election than they were in the early part of the year.

After all, it is the capital city, and the people are far keener on politics than other regions. Nowadays, it is impossible to go out without saying three words about the election.

...

Bosco is the owner of a shoe store in Sofia. He employs two shoemakers and three apprentices, so he is barely a capitalist! Of course, Bosco never thought so. It is because Bosco was also a shoemaker and was very good at it. Whenever a special guest came to his door, he had to do it himself.

In this case, an old friend came over and chatted with each other for a few minutes. They couldn't help but pull up to the big move.

"Lora, which party do you think will win this election?" Knowing that he always cares about politics, Bosco asked with a grin.

"Bosco, I hope they all can't win this time!" Lora said in a low tone.

"Why? Haven't you always supported the Democratic Party?" Bosco asked in great surprise.

"That was once upon a time, but the economic crisis made me realize that they can't make it! You know what? After the economic crisis, I asked them for help, and those guys who usually boast about it said it's the law of the market. The government shouldn't interfere and let the market adjust freely! God, those idiots, I was about to go bankrupt, and they wanted me to wait for the market to regulate! In a fit of rage, I flipped out with them!" Lora said with an angry face.

"Oh! I'm going to buy you a drink to celebrate you getting rid of those idiots!" Bosco said with a smile.

"That's right, it's time to celebrate! I should have seen it a long time ago! Apart from shouting a couple of slogans, they just go around cheating on food and drinks under the banner of 'freedom'!" Lora said with some sorrow.

"Oh, God save you! Got rid of a big problem!" Bosco said with a smile.