MUSSOLINI'S SURPRISE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18263, 23 December 1924, Page 11

MUSSOLINI'S SURPRISE.

ELECTIONS IN MARCH. ELECTORAL REFORM BILL. {ST CABLE—MESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT) (ACSTTtiOJAX AXD X.Z. CI3LE ASSOCIATION.) ROM I'". December SI. Siguor Mussolini caused a sensation in the Houso of Deputies by announcing a new Electoral Bill. It is believed that it will provide a single seat in each electorate on the English basis, instead of the present party voting system. Tlio elections ;irc expected io take place in March. PARTY VOTING. STRANGE ELECTORAL LAW. The inevitable reaction to dictatorship has been growing in Italy, and i» was roported from Romo last week that ii crisis had arisen owing to tho action of tho Sen?.to in voting agjiinstthe Government on a drastic Press law which was commonly regarded as a political weapon. Tho Oppositionists had absented themselves from tho House to mark their disapproval of the Prime Minister's methods. Earlv this year Signor Mussolini induced the expiring Italian Parliament to pass si strange electoral law. In tho last Chamber of Deputies, which consisted of 535 members, the Fascists numbered only 31. Tho problem Signor M.ueeolini had to iaco was that of converting this minority into a substantial majority in the next Chamber. Under tho old system of proportional representation it was impossible to do bo. For many years mst no Government in Italy had had oehind it a substantial majority in Parliament. The Chamber was split up into numerous groups, and sniooossivoGovernments had to rely upon the precarious support of a combination of groups. Signor Mususolini's solution was tho party voting system under which the country ie divided into sixteen constituencies, called circumscriptions. Twothirds of the seats in each circumscription are oar-marked for Government supporters. Tho remainder for Oppositionists. Each party naturally nominates sufficient candidates to fill twothirds of the seats. When the poll is taken, however, tho whole country is regarded as on© constituency, the total votes of each party heing counted. If the largest party total equals cr exceeds a quarter of the entire poll, tluat ]>arty's entire tioket in every circumscription is elected. The remaining one-third of the scats in each circumscription are allotted proportionally in accordance with the focal poll. Nevertheless a voter may vote for liis party ticket as a whole or mark the candidates in tlio order of preference. In the event of no party obtaining a quarter of the total votes, the system lapses, and the election is carried on undier the proportional representation system. The election gave the Fascists much more than the requisite minimum, as they obtained two-thirds of the total vote.