Chapter 170: Chapter 165: The Second Cabinet Government

“Very well.” Hunter Steward smiled and continued, “As it takes time to compile all of the forms, you will have about half an hour to relax from now on, and the meeting will resume afterwards.”

The MPs sighed with relief, but they only started chatting with their neighbors after Arthur had left.

The upcoming election was the highlight, and it would take several hours to reach a final result.

Arthur naturally wouldn’t wait there and returned to the top-floor lounge, quietly waiting for the final election results.

Half an hour quickly passed, and as the Hunter Steward opened the meeting room’s door once more, the conversation inside abruptly stopped.

“Ladies and gentlemen, after some time of counting, the participants in the Australian second cabinet election have finally been confirmed. A total of ninety-three people are participating in the election, among which are six candidates for the Prime Minister position, seventeen for Foreign Minister, twenty-eight for Minister of Civil Affairs, twenty-one for Minister of Transportation, sixteen for Finance Minister, seven for the Minister of Defence, twenty-nine for Minister of Agriculture, sixteen for Minister of Industry, eleven for Minister of Health, eighteen for Minister of Education, and twenty-seven for Minister of Public Security,” Hunter Steward reported.

“Each of you will receive a detailed list and information of the candidates for each position. You will then have one hour to think it over. After one hour, write down your preferred candidate for each position and put it into the corresponding ballot box for that position,” Hunter Steward said, “You are only allowed to write down one supported candidate for each position, and all candidates cannot write their own names. I hope everyone can make a decision after careful consideration, as every single vote is crucial for any candidate.”

“Please do not communicate with one another during the thinking and list­writing process; keep silent until the final results are announced.”

After announcing all the rules, Hunter Steward tactfully withdrew to one side, giving the MPs ample time to think.

Upon hearing that communication was not allowed, everyone gave up the idea. After all, this was a matter concerning the country’s and the royal family’s dignity, and no one was foolish enough to break the rules, annoy Arthur, or even be expelled from the meeting room directly.

All those present were important figures among the MPs and parties, and being expelled would result in the loss of both face and future prospects.

This added to the difficulty of making a choice, especially for those MPs who were acting independently.

For those with parties or their small groups, they would generally write down the names of those they had already discussed within their party, or those they had a good relationship with.

Some of these people filled in their choices relatively quickly, and within only half an hour, some raised their hands to signal the soldiers to collect their forms.

About one hour later, the MPs finally finished writing their recommended candidates for all positions and handed the forms to the soldiers.

To ensure the fairness of the election, this count would adopt a public roll-call method. As long as a candidate’s name appeared on a position’s recommendation list, their name would be called out, and their frequency of being called would be noted down next to their name underneath each position.

This on-site roll call added some tension to the atmosphere, with candidates growing increasingly excited with each call.

Similarly, not being called for a long time could be torturous for candidates.

To facilitate the count, this roll call would be conducted by position, one at a time.

This also prolonged the time needed, with each position estimated to take at least half or even one hour to complete. After all, there were more than two hundred people present, meaning more than 200 votes for each position.

The ministers of various departments were the first to have their names called, while the Prime Minister, as the most important position in the Cabinet Government, was arranged to be called last.

People were engrossed, some eagerly awaiting their own names, while others looked forward to the final results.

Among the ten Cabinet positions, the most popular ones were the Minister of Civil Affairs, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Public Security.

Compared to other departments, these three were not as important, and many first-time Cabinet election participants chose them after careful consideration.

The least popular position was the Minister of Defence. This was a special position for Australia and one that almost all the candidates lacked confidence in.

Everyone understood that, as the Duke of Australia, Arthur attached great importance to Australia’s military power.

Even if one gained an advantage in the election for the Minister of Defence, it didn’t necessarily mean they would become the actual Minister of Defence.

It all depended on Arthur’s choice. So besides a few confident candidates and some of Arthur’s subordinates, others tactfully chose other positions.

The roll call went from around noon until past ten in the evening, with breaks and lunch and dinner intermissions in between.

The two meals were prepared by Arthur’s personal chefs who served more than a dozen desserts alone for each meal, not to mention countless main courses.

At around 10:30 PM, the roll call finally ended, announcing the details of the Australian 2nd Cabinet Government.