In the meantime, Shojiro GOTO and his followers consequently lost support and organized Kokumin Liberal Party (National Liberal Party), which turned into a government-leaning party; however, they could gain only five parliamentary seats in the first general election, which barely bestowed them much political clout.
なお、結果的に梯子を外された形となった後藤象二郎直系を中心とした集団は国民自由党を結成して吏党に転じるが、第1回総選挙で5議席しか獲得できなかったためにほとんど影響力は無かった。