The elections in Bulgaria have ended in a kind of
plebiscite for Prince Ferdinand and his strong-fisted Premier, M. Stam- bouloff. The latter has been elected for five districts, and the total vote for the Administration in the Chamber will be 260 to 35. In Sofia, the capital, the whole population voted on one side. M. Stambouloff's opponents say he has coerced the voters, and probably he did make it known that a hostile district would receive no favour from the Executive ; but the Bulgarians are very stubborn, and the vote must in the main express their political inclinations. The truth is, they care very little about Prince Ferdinand, who has not the art of popularity, but they believe in M. Sta,mbouloff, who, they see, can govern, and who, they think, will keep them inde- pendent of Russia. He, they know, cannot be either bribed or frightened, and there are few of the remaining leaders, as the Panitza trial showed, of whom that can be said. M. Stambouloff's policy now is a warm alliance with Constanti- nople, so that if his State is invaded, the Bulgarian force may be the advance-guard of the whole Turkish Army. It is believed that he will succeed in this plan, though the Sultan, naturally enough, is not willing to provoke Russia by giving his public assent to it. The plan is able, but has one bad in- cidental result. It disables M. Stambouloff from protecting the Macedonians, who declare themselves the most oppressed people in the Empire, and are throwing themselves on Russian protection.
