Duly noted. I'm not a native speaker, but it seems to me that the comment still works - "won over" as neutral form of implying that government got what it wanted in contrast to "won, over" that implies negative connotation of the same deed.
The sentence does make sense either way -- both in the "government won, and citizens lost" and "government convinced the citizens of its position" senses. I just wasn't sure if you meant it both ways. :)
Duly noted. I'm not a native speaker, but it seems to me that the comment still works - "won over" as neutral form of implying that government got what it wanted in contrast to "won, over" that implies negative connotation of the same deed.