1914 Qing General Election

General elections were held in the Qing Empire on 1 May 1914 to elect 850 members of the House of Representatives. It has seen the victory of the Kuomintang, a transformation in a proper party of the Tongmenghui. Song Jiaoren was elected as Prime Minister of China, and effectively replaced Sun Yat Sen, who announced his resignation from party leadership due to ailing health. The Kuomintang won by a handy majority, but reduced it's number of MPs while the opposition made advancements.

Background
In the period prior to the Great War, the Qing Empire made great advancements in all sectors. The literacy rate in 1913 was one of the highest, with a boom of students subscribed to university faculties. Technological progress has also been recorded, with the introduction of first radios to the mass production, and the circulation of civilian vehicles in major cities. By 1917, China was defined as partially-westernized, and by 1946, fully modernized. Emperor Guangxi considered the option to abdicate in 1925 to let his son, Prince Aisin Gioro Puyi, to become the Emperor of China.

Prime Minister Song Jiaoren, with his election, strengthened the Chinese position on the international stage and signed the ratification of the lend-leasing act of Hong Kong, which China would be able to reclaim from 1984. Jiaoren also proclaimed neutrality during the Great War, and refused to join on the side of the Entente due to foreign concessions on national soil.