Showing even a hint of weakness in posture meant that a large number of votes could be invalidated, or even worse, might shift to the opposition.
Moreover, at this point, it was impossible to employ propaganda tools to reverse those voters' perception of the opposition.
Decades of propaganda had already deeply ingrained certain ideologies into people's minds.
One of the problems with 'happy education' is that it tends to make people obstinate; once something has been set in their minds, it's very difficult to rewash it. Even if successful, it would not be something that could be accomplished within a few months.
Changing course at this point would serve no purpose other than providing ammunition for the opposition's criticism.
Everyone was thus strung up by the ballots; even if surrendering to the opposition to gain benefits was an option, it definitely couldn't be at this point in time, especially when the bayonets were already bloodied!
