Bulgakov was further outmaneuvered by the Polish reformers when King Stanisław August drew closer to leaders of the reform-minded Patriotic Party (Stanisław Małachowski, Ignacy Potocki, Hugo Kołłątaj, Stanisław Staszic and others). Finally the reformers pulled a quasi-coup d'etat, voting for a new constitution, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, when most of the pro-Russian deputies (Muscovite Party) were away for the Easter recess. The Constitution which drastically reformed the Commonwealth coincided with the end of the Russo-Turkish war.
The Polish reformers successfully outmaneuvered Bulgakov by leveraging King Stanisław August's support and gaining a majority in parliament to pass a new constitution, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, during a time when most pro-Russian deputies were absent for Easter recess. This constitutional change coincided with the end of the Russo-Turkish war and significantly reformed the Commonwealth.