Political crisis in Italy

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34045, 8 January 1976, Page 9

Political crisis in Italy

Z Press —Copi/rtaht) , ROME. January 7. j The collapse of Italy's, thirty-seventh post-war Administration appears imminent today as Socialist Party leaders meet to withdraw their support from .Mr Aldo Moro’s 13-month-oldi minority coalition of' Christian Democrats and. Republicans. The critical two-day meeting of the Socialists ’ executive commute opened this, morning with a report from ! the party leader. Mr Francesco De Martino, recommending that the party.’ Italy’s rhird-largest. should desert rhe Government and demand a new emergence Admimstarion. Mr De Martino is ex- ' peered to reiterate Socialist

• charges that Government: (leaders have been legislating! with open disdain for the positions of other parties, jand particularly that of the ■Socialists. Political sources say that, the Moro Government is! likely to resign within the! day, or by tomorrow at the' latest. The Government, formed jin November, 1974, after a 152-day crisis, owes its survival to the backing in Parlia'ment of the Socialists and Social Democrats, the former partners in Italy’s long-I established Centre left coali-i tion. I ■ Desertion bx the Socialists' 'would leave Mr Moro with only 310 votes from the 630; seats in the Chamber of! Deputies. The Socialists have! declared their readiness to! return to the Government if the Christian Democrats, the dominant force in Italian | politics for the last three' . I

:decades, guarantee to make | profound changes in econiomic policy and to end every form of discrimination to the Left to involve the Communist Party, Italy’s I second-largest, in national 'decision-making. Failure to find a new Gov-i • ernment formula will inevi-i tably lead to a General Elec-1 tion a year ahead of schedule, when the Communists: and Socialists will hope to) repeat the advances they, made in regional elections' last June. The exact motives of the j Socialists’ timing have not .been made clear. Mr De ! Martino, a former Deputy Prime Minister, argued against exploding a Government crisis after the June elections, on the ground that •such an initiative would only harm the nation. A Neapolitan, a professor! iof Roman law', and the] j Socialist leader since 1972,; Mr De Martino is reported.: however, to have been ang-l jered recently by Mr Moro’s.

I omission to reply to a letter he wrote about unemploy-1 j ment conservatively estimated at 7 per cent of the • work force of 19 million — and by the Government's failure to consult his party lover the replacement of the I Prefect of Milan, a Socialist 'sympathiser. And despite its demands (for a Communist voice in 'government, the Socialists are known to be increasingly

anxious over Christian Democrat-Communist cooperation which could cut into their own political influence.