Union Of Centre Returned In Greece

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30368, 18 February 1964, Page 13

Union Of Centre Returned In Greece

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ATHENS, February 17. The Union of the Centre Party was swept into power in Greece’s national election early today, with unofficial calculations showing it will have 170 seats in the 300-seat Parliament.

Headed by a 76-year-old veteran Liberal, Mr George Papandreou, the party took nearly 53 per cent of the votes, which were cast in the shadow of the crisis in Greek-Turkish relations over Cyprus. With 4,264,846 votes counted in 11,042 of the 11,581 polling stations, the National Radical Union had won 35 per cent of the poll. The Union of the Centre narrowly defeated the N.R.U. in an election last November, but Parliament was dissolved 25 days later when

the union failed to secure a self-supporting majority. A caretaker cabinet was then appointed, headed by Mr John Paraskevopoulos. Unofficial calculations by the Interior Ministry and today’s Greek press gave the N.R.U. 108 seats and the United Democratic Left 22.

Experts said last night that the N.R.U.’s main loss of support had been in rural areas, where farmers had voted heavily for the Union of the Centre, which had promised to subsidise agriculture and to cancel farmers’ debts towards the Agrarian Bank. The United Democratic Left party—considered by security authorities as the “legal cover” of the outlawed Communist Party—also lost support, taking only about 11 per cent of the poll, compared with approximately 25 per cent in the 1958 elections. Mr Paraskevopoulos said early today that the election had been “very fair,” and added: “There is no cause for concern about Cyprus at this moment.” Mr Paraskevopoulos will see King Paul today to brief him on the official results and tender the resignation of the caretaker Cabinet. The new Parliament is due to convene on March 19.

Bulgarian P.M. In Moscow

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) MOSCOW; February 17. Mr Todor Zhikov, the Bulgarian Prime Minister and Communist Party leader, arrived in Moscow today at the head of a party and Government delegation. No details about the purpose of the mission have been announced—the delegation came at the invitation of the Soviet Government and Communist Party Central committee—but Western observers believe it may well be connected with discussions among Communist leaders to determine next moves in the ideological battle with China.

Goldwater Confident

(N.Z. Press Assn.— Copyright) CHICAC O, Feb. 16. Senator Barry Goldwater said today that he had regained all of the support that he lost after the assassination of President Kennedy, He claimed that his organisation boosting his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination was in better shape than that of any previous presidential candidate. “A great ground swell is moving now that has taken up where it left off after the Kennedy assassination,” Senator Goldwater said.