Liberal gain in Bavaria

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32462, 24 November 1970, Page 15

Liberal gain in Bavaria

(NZ.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MUNICH, Nov. 23. Chancellor Willy Brandt’s Left-liberal coalition has been strengthened by another good performance from the junior partners, the Liberal Free Democratic Party, in yesterday’s Bavarian poll.

The Free Democrats comfortably passed the 10 per cent minimum vote required in one of the State’s electoral districts, to move back into the State Parliament after an absence of four years.

They scored 12.4 per cent in central Franconia and took an average of 5.5 per cent in the State as a whole, according to official provisional results.

Mr Franz-Josef Strauss’s ruling Christian Social Union, the Bavarian wing of the Federal Opposition Christian Democrats, held its traditional position as the strongest party in the State with 56.4 per cent of the-vote, which was a gain of 8.3 per cent compared with the last State poll in 1966. Mr Brandt’s Social Democrats remained the second

strongest party, but showed a slight loss. Its 33 J per cent was down 2.5 per cent compared with 1966. The National Democrats took only 2.9 per cent of the over-all vote and failed to clear the 10 per cent hurdle in any district As in the Hesse state election a fortnight ago, where the Free Democrat's also confounded the forecasters to return 10.1 per cent their performance in Bavaria, a conservative opposition stronghold, was the main question in yesterday’s poll. The Free Democrats success underlines the resurgence of confidence in a party which only a month or two ago seemed on the verge of collapsing and possibly bringing the Brandt Government down with it. Early last month the Free Democrats and the National Government were rocked by the defection of three Free Democrat Bundestag deputies to the-opposition. It was feared that bad showings in state polls would possibly bring more defections.

Socialist and Free Democrat comment on die result reflected the coalition’s newfound confidence. The FreeDemocrat leader, the For-

eign Minister, Mr< Walter Scheel, said the F.D.P.’s position was strengthened, helping the stability of the alliance with the Socialists. . Compared with last year’s national election in the area the liberals had gained by a quarter, he said. Mr Strauss put the F.D.P. result down to “a whisper campaign” by Socialists to save the liberals by lending them their votes. There had been no return of old liberal voters but rather a shifting of allegiance within the Leftvoting electorate, he claimed. His own party’s good showing, he said, was partly the result of a feeling of insecurity and disquiet spreading in Germany because of the Brandt Government. ■

The Bavarian Socialist leader, Mr Volkmar Gabert, said that many S.P.D. voters, as in Hesse previously, had apparently supported the liberals and he interpreted this as a vote of confidence in the Federal Government. The distribution of seats in the nev; House, according to official provisional results, is: Christian Social Union, 124 (110 old); Social Democrats, 70 (79); Free Democrats, 10 (nil); National Democrats, nil (15).