They did this in Rome—People bought votes for power—by giving free food and circuses! It worked in the short run but in the end Rome Fell.
Still, the Roman Empire lasted till what? 29 May 1453.
That’s a pretty good run. Of course, a citizen of the Republic wouldn’t have recognized it. Rome itself was no longer a part of the Empire. And like our modern world, it was the Muslims who finally cut it off.