BY-ELECTIONS IN EIRE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27073, 23 June 1953, Page 12

BY-ELECTIONS IN EIRE

TWO SEATS LOST BY FIANNA FAIL

GOVERNMENT SAID TO BE IN JEOPARDY (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 22. Through the loss of two by-elections, the results of which were declared in Eire during the week-end, Mr de Valeras Fianna Fail (Government) Party is, according to Dublin correspondents, in a critical position. Both contests were won by the chief Opposition party, the Fine Gael. The Government’s majority in the House has been reduced from four to two. Alone, the 69 Fianna Fail deputies are in a majority, but they normally have the support of five Independents. Opposing the. Government are 45 Fine Gael members, 14 Labour, seven Farmers’ Party, two Republicans' and four Independents—a total of 72. The “Manchester Gtiardian” says: “During the by-election campaigns, it was assumed that, unless the Government managed to capture at least one of the seats, it would have no course open but to dissolve. “A few days before the polling, however, the Deputy-Prime Minister (Mr Lemas) said that the loss of both would not necessarily mean a General Election. Mr De Valera himself now appears to take the same view. In a statement, he said that in recent divisions, the Government had never been pressed so closely that a reduction of its majority from four to two would mean defeat, ‘and I hope we are able to complete our immediate tasks without a General Election’.”

The Opposition, invigorated by the verdict of two constituencies, is now expected to seek every opportunity to oust the Government. With two Fianna Fail deputies ill and possibly unable to attend sittings of the House, an early defeat becomes a constant possibility. The most striking feature of the byelections was the resurgence of the Fine Gael Party. In both constituencies it increased its support, as compared with the. General Election two years ago. Tn one of them, it gained 3454 more votes, and in the other 2561 more. Large numbers of the electors were no doubt influenced against the Fianna Fail Party by the continued rise in the cost of living and by the large amount of unemployment.