 Meanwhile , even the minds of reformers like Gogel had become receptive to the need for change . The frustrations of the stalemate between <unk> reformers and democratically elected federalist <unk> had caused a certain disillusionment with democratic politics in the former ( the latter were already convinced ) . An alliance was therefore forming between the would @-@ be reformers , who would like to finally push their reforms through , by " Bonapartist " means , if necessary , and the people who wished to restore the old federal order , in the hands of the old regent class . Director <unk> in particular was amenable to a project that would extend executive power ( and curtail that of the Assembly ) , and revert the constitution to federal devolution . With the help of Sémonville he now started to push a project of constitutional reform that followed the French Constitution of the Year VIII in important respects : a bicameral legislature would be appointed by a " National College " ( akin to the French Senate ) from a list of names produced by a convoluted system of national elections . This met with little enthusiasm by two of the other Directors François <unk> and Jean Henri van Swinden , and by the Representative Assembly , that rejected the project on June 11 , 1801 , by fifty votes to twelve . 
