ITALIAN ELECTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 83, 7 April 1924, Page 6

ITALIAN ELECTIONS

Voting in the Italian elections took place yesterday, but it may be some days before the final result is known, as the system of allotting votes and seats requires that polling results for the whole country must be available before a start is made. . For several years i Italy has had a proportional representation electoral system, • and there have been critics who have said that this has been the cause o. much of her trouble. Small parties under the system have been enabled to gain a share of representation, and the result has been a kaleidoscopic Parliament,, with no party strong enough to pursue aiorceful policy. For years before Mussolini came upon the scene the energies, of the many parties were devoted to disputing what should be done for Italy, and in the meantime nothing was done. Mussolini having attained office by a display of force, resolved not to trust himself to the popular will until he could be reasonably sure of the result, and he amended the electoral law so that his assurance might bo doubly sure. The new law provided that voting should be on a nation-wide basis, and that the party securing the greatest number of votes should fill, two-thirds of .the seats even though it might not have received two-thirds of the votes The remaining one-third of the seats would be filled by, other parties in proportion to their voting strength This would assure an absolute Parliamentary majority and the power to govern to the strongest party, which would not have to seek the support of minor parties. Unless the Fascists can be defeated by a single party at the, polls (and this is held to be impossible), they are under this system, sure of obtaining power. Signor Mussolini, it is said, will probably be generous and ■allot 100 of, his seats to candidates who are1 not Fascists but who may be relied upon. - Even so, he will have a party at his back strong enough to 'do his bidding in all things. His new electoral law is a novel and rather desperate measure, but after all it is not so desperate as'the measures by which the. Fascists originally attained and have hitherto held office