NEO-NAZIS WIN 15 SEATS IN BAVARIA

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31223, 22 November 1966, Page 17

NEO-NAZIS WIN 15 SEATS IN BAVARIA

(NZP.A-Reuter —Copyright)

MUNICH, November 21.

The Bavarian State elections held yesterday were hailed as a triumph both for the extreme Right-wing National Democrats and the ruling Christian Social Union.

The far-Right National Democrats—accused of neo-Nazi leanings demonstrated their increasing popularity by winning 15 seats.

It was the second shock election success this month for the two-year-old party, which a Court ruled could be justly called “a collection box of former Naris.” Two weeks ago they won eight seats in Hesse. The Bavarian vote was also significant for the personal triumph of the former Defence Minister, Mr FranzJosef Strauss and his Christian Social Union. Forecasts Defied

The union. Bavarian ally of the ruling Federal Christian Democrats, defied forecasts by winning 110 seats and strengthening its absolute majority in the Landtag (State Assembly). Official provisional results gave the following line-up for the 204-seat House: Christian

Social Union 110. Social Democratic Party 79. National Democratic Party 15, Free Democratic Party 0, Bavarian Party 0, and All German Party 0. The jubilant deputy-leader of the National Democrats, Mr Adolf von Thadden, said after the votes were counted that if Federal elections were held tomorrow his party would enter the Bundestag at Bonn with at least 40 seats.

“This is no surprise," said the party chairman, Mr Fritz Thielen, who had predicted that his stridently nationalistic party would win about 15 seats in their second contest at the polls. The National Democrats — who want an end to foreign participation in German affairs and a German military high command—qualified to send deputies to the Landtag by polling about 12 per cent of Hie votes in Central Franconia, a centre of Nazi strength in the 1930’5. Nuremberg Poll

In Nuremberg, home of Hitler’s mass rallies, the National Democrats polled 13

per cent In Munich, where the Nazi movement started, they polled 7 per cent The Liberal Free Democrats. who were also concentrated in Franconia, fell just short of the 10 per cent share of the votes required under the Bavarian Constitution and lost all nine seats they held in the last Assembly. Dr. Ludwig Erhard’s coalition in Bonn was ruptured last month by a walk-out of the Free Democrats, and now Dr. Kurt-Georg Kiesinger, State Premier of BadenWuerttemberg. is trying to restore the majority so that he can become Chancellor. Mr Strauss and his Bavarians were the force that swung the Christian Democrats behind Dr. Kiesinger, and the C.S.U. is demanding an influential Cabinet post for its leader. Today it is in an even stronger position.