Nicolae Iorga, Cuza was only allowed to run because of conspiratorial maneuvers by Colonel Pisoski, who "issued threats, gun in hand, in the doorway of the debating room, should Cuza's candidacy be rejected. Had it not been for him and his pistol, for his presence at the very entrance of that room, we would have seen the election carried by Mihai[l]-Voivode or by Beizadea Grigore!" The Nationals now had 32 deputies, while the Sturdzas, by then, had 16 each; the actual voting procedure, which took place at Grecianu, Cuza took an additional 16 votes from both his adversaries. Overall, Cuza's victory could happen "only because of the persistent conflicts between father and son", particularly since "the partisans of Beizadea Grigore were absolutely irreducible, no promise and no enticement could ever get them to vote for Mihai[l] Voivode." Cuza himself was guided by a sense of justice, and, against National Party deputies (including Epureanu), openly defended the Beizadeas right to take a seat in the Ad hoc Divan. At that final stage, Radu Rosetti reports, Mihail was conceding defeat and tried to transfer Grigore his votes. While he was simply defeated, Grigore found himself removed from the list of candidates, his status as an Ottoman serviceman being widely seen as incompatible with princely status. Debates continued over his eligibility as a Prince, prompting deputies to thoroughly review the conditions set in Paris. A majority of 35 deputies, including those loyal to his father, voted not to admit him into the race. Other delegates, in particular those of the clergy, abstained from voting once they realized the Beizadea could not win. The Beizadea himself absented from the vote which confirmed Cuza. Polish plot and Central Commission Immediately after the election, Sturdza Jr and Panu reemerged as Cuza supporters. The former raised the idea of a Cuza candidacy in Bucharest "before anything official had been stated on this issue". Both he and Panu wrote articles hinting that Cuza should invade Wallachia and seize the throne in Bucharest; Strudza's piece saw print in the National Party mouthpiece, Stéoa Dunărei. Cuza's subsequent election in Wallachia effectively federated the two countries, as the "United Principalities"; he was crowned Domnitor in both capitals. "Muklis" went on public record with his praise of the union as "something worthy of Romania's most glorious times", asking that both Divans meet for a common session in Focșani. More secretly, he began