Chapter 15: Arthur's Visit

"Really? Is it that crazy?" Henry was skeptical, even though he knew his friend Martin wouldn't exaggerate, he still couldn't fully believe it.

"Oh, my god. How could you not believe me? I bet there were at least a few hundred people here when I arrived this morning. The crowd was insane, I've never seen anything like it in this building before." Martin said confidently.

Seeing his friend say this, Henry also believed it completely and continued to inquire, "So, Martin, how many candidates are there today? Are we not going to be able to get into the state legislature?"

The huge number of people made even the usually confident Henry doubt himself. Sydney has the highest level of competition in Australia, and even someone like Henry, who has always been well-liked, is worried about not being able to get into the state legislature.

"There are probably over a thousand candidates, and I'm afraid there will be several thousand throughout the election week. But don't worry too much, Henry. You've helped hundreds, if not thousands, of families during your decades in office. As long as half of them still remember your good deeds, you can easily win this election." Martin looked at his worried friend and couldn't help but find it amusing.

For government officials like them, running for a member of parliament already has some advantages. After all, MPs participate in the development and construction of the country's power, even if it's just a small state MP, they can elect a state governor and formulate state development policies.

This also means that this position requires some political talent, which is an advantage they have over ordinary Australians.

In addition, Henry has been quietly helping many impoverished families in Sydney, which has given him a good reputation in Sydney's political circles.

With these conditions combined, Henry is one of the most advantageous people, even if he fails to enter the lower house, he will easily enter the state legislature.

"I hope so. After all, parliamentary elections are held every two years. If I can't get into the lower house this time, there will still be another chance, right?" After being persuaded by his friend, Henry also relaxed gradually.

Not long after, a crowded state legislature was suddenly divided by a walkway and several guards carrying a roster walked in and stood in the center. After quieting the crowd, they announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, as ordered by His Grace, the Duke, the first Australian House of Commons election is officially beginning! There is a roster here, and those who wish to participate in the election can register. Once registration is completed, you will be an official candidate. From today until the 17th, you can give speeches and campaign throughout the entire Sydney district, but bribery and coercion are not allowed. At the same time, all candidates' own votes are considered abstentions, and only votes cast for you by others will be counted. Voting will end at 24:00 on the 17th, and any votes received after that will be invalid. These are the rules. Those who wish to participate can register here in line."

The author did not research the British election system. This election process seemed like child's play.

This scene played out in all cities designated as election districts. Because it was the first Australian House of Commons election, these guards were responsible for overseeing the election process and introducing the specific election process and rules to all participants.

Among them, the guards emphasized the prohibition of bribery and the use of coercion to persuade others to vote, which was something that Arthur explicitly prohibited throughout the entire voting process.

"Martin, let's go. If we wait any longer, who knows when we'll be done!" Seeing that a long line had already formed in front of the guards, Harris urged his friend.

For Australians, casting their votes was very simple - they only needed to register their name and address, as well as the candidate they supported, which was considered a successful vote.

However, as a candidate, winning this election was not easy. After all, at least thousands of candidates would emerge in the entire Sydney district during this week. To stand out among these thousands of people and become one of the few dozen to enter the House of Commons was as difficult as reaching the sky.

But once they entered the House of Commons, they entered the upper echelon of the Australian political structure and even had the qualifications to be elected to the cabinet.

It was not impossible to be lucky enough to gain Arthur's trust and enter the House of Lords.

Perhaps it was the dream of developing their own country, perhaps it was to fulfill their political ambitions, or perhaps it was just curiosity to try to participate in an election. In any case, this House of Commons election was welcomed by most Australians.

May 10th, 10 p.m.

When Arthur saw today's election data in Sydney, he was shocked.

In just one day in Sydney, 1,342 candidates were born, and 96,300 ballots were cast.

The candidate with the most votes has already received nearly 500 votes, giving them a significant advantage in the election.

This made Arthur very curious about the election situation and he decided to go to the polling station himself to take a look.

On May 17th, at the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney, this was the last day of the entire Australian House of Representatives election and the craziest day of the election process.

After six days of elections, Sydney alone produced over 5,300 candidates, and the number of votes exceeded 250,000.

Although the statistics from other states were not available to Arthur due to the short time, it can be inferred from Sydney's data that the number of participants in this election was definitely not low and exceeded Arthur's original estimate.

Because it was already the last day of the election, even if there were many speeches today, the number of votes obtained would already be very low.

Therefore, Martin and Harris also planned to leave it to fate and see if their efforts from the previous few days paid off and whether they could enter their dream of the House of Representatives.

Just then, the two suddenly heard a noisy shout from the crowd, "The prince is here! The prince is here!"

"The prince is here? Let's go and see. If we're late, we won't be able to squeeze in," Martin exclaimed excitedly, pulling his friend towards the sound.

On the road outside the Parliament, Arthur was slowly descending from his carriage, tidying up his clothes and laughing and greeting the excited and enthusiastic crowd around him.

CHECK OUT MY NEW NOVEL "I became a hidden tycoon of british empire"

Link : http://wbnv.in/a/42htbXN