Sure enough, amid the murmuring all around, when Amelia announced that the candidates would speak—
Akingbade rose to his feet and asked, "Members of the Executive Council, Vice Presidents, would you permit Mr. Vaughan Weasley and me to present our respective views in the form of a two-person debate?"
Before the observers could react—
The Executive Council members and Vice Presidents approved the request after an exceedingly brief "discussion."
Bang! Bang!
Amelia struck the gavel, rousing the stunned observers. Gesturing to Akingbade and Vaughan, she said, "The Executive Council has agreed to let the two of you debate. Candidates, please take the stage!"
Yes, from the very beginning, this entire scene had been nothing more than a "show."
The proposal had come from Babajide Akingbade.
This "young and vigorous" man in his eighties, who had navigated international politics for years, truly had no intention of shaking Vaughan's position at this first assembly, just as Vaughan had expected.
His decision to enter the election and then speak in the form of a "debate" was simply because, like those seated in the observers' gallery, he desperately wanted to know exactly what Vaughan had planned for WAC.
More precisely, he wanted to know whether Vaughan Weasley possessed the ambitions Akingbade imagined he did!
In exchange, he would represent the International Confederation of Wizards and cast all its votes for Vaughan!
...Tch, what a troublesome man...
As Vaughan rose from his seat and walked toward the stage, he offered a warm smile to the approaching Akingbade, but inwardly, he grew ever more wary of him.
Akingbade had proposed this arrangement before the assembly began.
Both Dumbledore and Amelia had been tempted.
It was obvious why. The newborn WAC was fragile. Not only did it have no precedents to follow, it was also being "hostilely