Chapter 63： Belgian elections begin

Belgian politics is facing the beginning of a new round of unrest.

The Belgian election is going on in a lively manner, and the major candidates are showing their success. The dazzling means are even more stunned.

The polling day of the general election is the second day after April Fool's Day on April 1, and the official vote will be held on April 2. Interior Minister Lawrence, a member of the Alban cabinet, said on the 25th that this will be a test that reflects whether Belgian voters trust the Alban government. vote of confidence.

Focusing on the Belgian general election, which will be voted on the first day after April Fool's Day on April 2, Belgium's ruling and opposition parties will debate foreign and security policies.

The leader of the Liberal Party's largest royalist faction and the current Prime Minister, Orbon, has called for a fundamental strengthening of the homeland defense, including discussions on the purchase of the newest steam-clad battleships from the British Empire to counteract the oppression of the powers.

"Our country is a multi-ethnic country. We need unity and independence. Therefore, we need a bond, and this bond is a weapon. What we will use is the world's latest battleship to support Belgium's security.

Therefore, the alliance with the British Empire is our cornerstone, unchallenged, and the foundation of our governance.

And King Leopold I is the most powerful country in the world between us and the British Empire, the closest uncle of their King Queen Victoria, is there a more useful network than this?

Therefore, please continue to support the royalists and me, which means supporting Belgium's safest and most stable foreign policy choice, please support us, and we will work with you to keep Belgium intact."

-------- This is the outline of the campaign diplomacy proposed by Alban in an interview with the British "London Times".

However, unlike him, Jules Danetang, a Dutch candidate for the Liberal Party and a pro-Dutch senator from West Flanders, accepted the Netherlands' second-largest-selling newspaper, Neue Rotterdam Zeitung. Emphasize exclusive defense.

"The Netherlands and Belgium used to belong to the same country. I never thought the Netherlands was a threat. On the contrary, our two countries are connected by mountains and rivers, and our blood is intertwined. We are all one family.

On the contrary, I think Belgium is too reliant on the British Empire, and thus has lost the foundation of self-reliance as a country. A free and free Belgium looks up to the British more than anything else, and waits for the British to nod their opinions before going to Belgium. It's scary to think about it.

Therefore, protecting the country independently is closer to the hearts of the Belgian people, and is more in line with our basic position as a country. "

The second liberal Dutch candidate, senator from the eastern province of Limburg, Joseph Beit, told the Dutch newspaper "Echo" when he asked questions about Belgium's foreign policy. He emphasized that,

"What should be said should be said, and asked to be committed to various matters. Belgium should use its own status to do things that are appropriate to it, do what it can, and be committed to various historical issues that have already existed in Belgium. .

For example, with the previous positioning of the Netherlands, how to get along with the relationship between the United Kingdom, and whether France is the same as the Dutch-speaking area in the southern French-speaking area, implement a customs union similar to the North German Confederation to divide the interests of various Belgian-speaking areas. relation.

In short, I don’t think Belgium needs to confront other countries head-on, but should use clever methods to resolve the crisis with neighboring countries, especially Prussia, our new neighbor, we can learn from them, because they dominate the North German Confederation. the effectiveness of the customs union, well done”

With regard to the relationship with the Netherlands, Beit believed that it should be based on a friendly level, no matter how much His Majesty Leopold I contradicted the Kingdom of the Netherlands, how unhappy he was in his heart.

However, the largest ethnic group in Belgium is the Dutch, which cannot be changed. Including the current cabinet members of the Belgian government, the Dutch account for one-third.

The parliament also occupies 60% of the seats.

So what's wrong with Belgium being naturally pro-Dutch?

On the contrary, those who are deliberately messing up the relationship between the Netherlands and Belgium, what are your motives? Are you happy to let the Dutch beat their own people?

He very much agrees with the unity that Prime Minister Alban said before, because, regardless of whether they are French or Dutch, everyone is Belgian, and it seems that there is no change at present.

He finally emphasized the security aspect: "It is impossible to hand over this country to the absolute Anglican faction that even the basic security guarantee concept exists only out of reality, which will make Belgium fall into the abyss of war and fall into the abyss of the British Empire's hegemony. And in the quagmire of war that has been drawn away.”

He also clearly stated in his campaign platform that he should improve containment capabilities. Be vigilant about possible Belgian ambitions in neighboring countries, including increasing conscripts, purchasing ships but not limited to the United Kingdom, etc., and increasing loyalty to Chinese people.

Many people have speculated that, as a pro-Dutch faction, he finally proposed to buy more ships, which is obviously to ensure that voters who have doubts about the Netherlands will dispel their doubts.

The idea of ​​increasing loyalty is the finishing touch.

The reason for this is that Belgium and the Netherlands are on their guard. In particular, several northern provinces have been disregarding the cabinet's warnings, and under the leadership of high-ranking officials, they have visited the Netherlands one after another to seek the signing of economic agreements, and even in terms of security policies. Move closer to the Netherlands. Therefore, many people in Belgium are wary of the Netherlands.

Bait's words are to dispel their reaction.

And Melante of the Catholic Party advocated that Belgium should carry out internal reforms and that the king should delegate more power to the local government, so as to be able to complete and improve governance. When he was talking about it, he even proposed the Catholic tradition. It is hoped that Belgium will be more inclined to the economic development of the southern French-speaking region.

His main purpose is to buy people's hearts, to secure the fundamentals of the French-speaking region, and to sit and watch others.

......

"European Times" in the news of February 26, 1862, analyzed the Belgian candidates one by one.

"The Belgian Prime Minister Valter Frel Orbon and the Catholic Party Barthelemy Dete de Merante are the two most promising candidates in the Belgian general election in April.

Orbon represents the representative of the Belgian royal family.

After Belgium implemented a constitutional monarchy in 1848, this force has been winning over the Dutch, maintaining its advantage over the southern French, and winning the final victory in every general election.

The core areas are in the Flanders Brabant and Walloon Brabant departments, where Brussels is located.

Therefore, he was supported by Leopold I, and he was also the current Prime Minister of Belgium. The use of his governing resources made him the first candidate for re-election.

Melant is representing the southern Catholic party in the Belgian general election. French people account for about 40% of the population in Belgium, and more than 80% believe in Catholics, that is, more than 30% of the people in Belgium believe in Catholicism. The party's largest source of votes.

Therefore, it firmly occupies the No. 2 candidate's ranking, and the supporters are mainly in Hainaut, Namur, and Luxembourg.

However, he took this position mainly because of the support of Paris. Among the French, there are other candidates competing with him, but they are mainly French people who have naturalized Belgian national identity. Whether they are loyal or not, there is no people know.

Ranked third is Joseph Beit, who is a candidate elected by the provinces of Limburg, Antwerp and Liege.

Another Liberal candidate, Jules Danetang, has the support of West Flanders and West Flanders.

......

"On February 10, 1862, Senator Jules Danetang of West Flanders faced off against his opponent in the primary election of the Liberal Party, who was also the old Senator Nathan of West Flanders. The two directly started a debate on the spot. , the battle is fierce.

While everyone was looking forward to it, when they were about to watch another big show next time I didn't expect Da Nei Tang to show evidence, revealing that Nathan's academic degree was faked.

This made Nathan, as the senator of East Flanders, the opponent who had been a senator for 5 years panicked. In the case of solid evidence, he chose to directly withdraw from participating in the Belgian general election, and admitted that Jules Danetang won the election. Victory, becoming the province's only contestant, took the lead in Belgium's first victor.

Immediately, the Belgian and European media noticed him.

Originally, I would not have paid attention to such a campaign. After all, there are many general elections or mid-term elections in European countries every year, and even many

Great powers are doing it.

But this year, Belgium has become the focus of European attention many times, especially in the past two months this year, it has frequently entered the newspapers of various countries and has become a frequent news visitor.

And for some unknown reason, the four countries of Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Prussia are very concerned about the situation here. The newspapers in these countries have been reporting relevant news these days, and even the statement of one of the senators may be reported to them. The news from various countries has puzzled many people.

There are even many people who complain about whether it is superfluous to care so much about Belgium, but how can ordinary people know that the current situation in Belgium has reached a point where every move will lead to the future trend of the development of the European situation, and there are even only a few There is a duo game that people know, and the duo bet is as big as 70% of the territorial transaction volume in Europe...

(Your vote can make the general election in Belgium more lively, please vote for it!

In addition, the current number of collectors of this book is 4735, and it will enter 5000 immediately. Watchers, please collect it after reading it, and kick it into the goal like a football!

The previous chapter first, the second chapter is around 17:00. )