EAST GERMAN PRESIDENT

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25933, 13 October 1949, Page 5

EAST GERMAN PRESIDENT

MR WILHELM PIECK CHOSEN 73-YEAR-OLD COMMUNIST LEADER (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) BERLIN. October 11. Mr Wilhelm Pieck, the 73-year-old Communist leader, was unanimously elected President of the new East German Republic to-day. Mr Pieck, who holds a colonel’s rank in the Russian Army, was unopposed for the post. Mr Otto Nuschke, the Christian Democrat leader, announced the new President’s name at a joint meeting of the Communist-appointed Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament in

Goering's former Air Ministry in central Berlin. Delegates rose shouting approval and waving bunches of flowers as Mr Nuschke proposed Mr Pieck’s nomination. The Russian Ambassador (Mr Vladimir Semeonov) was smiling broadly. Half an hour earlier he had warmly congratulated Mr Pieck on his “election.” In his presidential address, Mr Pieck linked the welfare of the German people with that of the Soviet Union and made it clear that the Kremlin had acquired another satellite State. Mr Pieck said: "The Soviet Union has implemented the holy right of the German people to independence, development, unity, and peace. Away with pessimism and obstinacy! It is not important whether the two German Governments recognise each other. What is important is that they fight jointly for German unity.” Appeal to West Germans Appealing to the West German Government to fight against “measures imposed by Western imperialists.” Mr Pieck said: “The Government of the German Democratic Republic will never recognise the split which runs through Germany. It will not rest until dismantling has stopped in the Ruhr and the Occupation Statute is I abolished and a unified Germany created.” He asked the deputies to give three cheers for the unity of Germany, friendship with the Soviet Union and freedom-loving nations, and close economic relations between the East and the West. After Mr Pieck had been sworn in, the President of the Lower House (Mr Johannes Dieckrnann) read the statement made by the Soviet Military Governor (General Vassily Chuikov) saying that the Russian Military Administration will be replaced by a control commission on October 17 and that the new Parliament will take over the administration of the State. After reading the statement, Mr Dieckmann said: “It is with deep emotion that I express in the name of the people our profound thanks to the Soviet Government.” The whole House rose and clapped for several minutes. Earlier, Dr. Reinhold Lobendanz, a 69-year-old Christian Democrat, was elected President of the Upper House. Mr Otto Buchwitz, a 70-year-old Communist, was made Vice-President. Rally in East Berlin In the greatest demonstration Berlin lias seen since the days of the Nazis, 30,000 blue-shirted German youths, carrying, torches, marched along the Unter Den Linden to-night to celebrate Mr Pieck’s election. Smartly-uniformed detachments of the People’s Police were another reminder of Nazi days. Some of them goose-stepped as they marched past the grandstand in front of the Berlin University, where Mr Pieck stood to take the salute. Addressing the rally, Mr Pieck said that his Government would try to speak for all Germans, whether the Western Allies liked it or not. “We feel sorry that one part of the German people in the West is subjugated to the discriminatory Occupation Statute and denied the rights of a free and independent national life.' he said. “The responsibility rests upon the democratic forces of the German people whether they will be able to foil the plans of dollar capitalism to turn Western Germany into a campaign field for another war.” Mr Karl Arnold. President of the Upper Chamber of the West German Parliament, said to-day that co-oper-ation between West Germany and the new East German Government would be possible if the Eastern Government could prove it was no satellite of Russia. “We will be able to open relations with th? new Eastern Government only if it proves to be representative of the freely democratically expressed will of the Easi zone population,” Mr Arnold said.