In 1865 Charilaos decided to run for parliament. He needed a constituency and he selected Missolonghi. He was practically unknown there, but the Trikoupis name still commanded a lot of respect. Charilaos used his family connections to establish a group of supporters; he also offered a large sum of money for the construction of an aqueduct, and promised that if he was elected, he would distribute his remuneration proportionally among the five municipalities of his constituency. At the time it took more than 50 hours for someone to visit Missolonghi from Athens; he spend almost two months there, and in May he was elected to parliament. He had spent the night of the election in Makryneia, so when he came back to Missolonghi he was received with wild enthusiasm; he walked from the city gates to his house escorted by 100 horsemen, while flowers and perfumes rained on him as he crossed the streets. It was the beginning of a political career that was to transform Greece.