ITALIANS REJECT COMMUNISM

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22617, 21 April 1948, Page 5

ITALIANS REJECT COMMUNISM

CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT VICTORY BIG LEAD IN SENATE POLL ; SUCCESSES IN RED STRONGHOLDS (N.Z.P.A. —Reuter—Copyright.) (10.45 a.m./ ROME, April 20. A tabulation by the Ministry of the Interior of three-quarters of the votes in the Italian Sena+e elections demonstrated conclusively this afternoon that Italy has endorsed Signor de Gasperi's Governt ment and rejected communism.

Margin Exceeds 16 Per Cent The Christian Democrats received 47.4 of the Senate votes, and the Popular Front 31.1. The defeat of the Communist Party is even more sweeping when the votes for the Socialist Unity Party (Right Wing Socialists) are added to those of the Christian Democrats. La Republica is the first Popular Front newspaper to admit that the Christian Democrats are leading. Rome political circles regard the admission as indicating that the Popular Front will accept the results and will not attempt violence. Only at Bologna, called the “Italian Kremlin” did the Christian Democrats trail and, even there, not by much. The Christian Democrats are leading in Florence, Genoa and Venice. Some thought the rural vote might have been even more heavily pro-Government be cause of the Catholic influence, but the Communist promise to give them land apparently influenced the peasants in the west. The attempt to resurrect fascism in the Italian Social Momevent got nowhere in the north, but in Rome it is running third. Electoral Returns The Ministry of the Interior announced the Senate figures up to 7 p.m. G.M.T. in 40,407 of 41 647 electoral sections as follows:—• Christian Democrats .. .. 9,246,443 Popular Front 5,882,253 Socialist Unity 134,851 National Bloc 1,295,490 Republicans 510,132 Monarchists 415,458 Italian Social Movement (Fascists) . „ 242,353 The latest figures for the Chamber of Deputies are:

Christian Democrats .. .. 6,388,305 Popular Front 4,546,538 The results covered just over half the total electoral sections.

In Milan a Popular Front executive announced that a big demonstration “to reaffirm anti-Fascist and democratic solidarity” will be held there or. Sunday.

No Collaboration with Reds Signor de Gasperi, discussing the elections said he excluded the possibility of a three-party coalition collaborating with tho Communists. Experience had shown this was impossible. He said it was likely the new Cabinet would be similar to the present Government from which the Communists were excluded in May. 1947. The Socialist Unity Party leader and vice-Premier. Signor Saragat declared that the Communists won ■' not be admitted to the new Government. “The Italian election means the rebirth of democracy in Europe," he said. “It is a great setback to Russia and Communist plans for expansion. Italy is now part of Western Europe not of the Balkans.” Signor Saragat addeo that the election did not mean the final defeat of communism in Italy. Social measures, not police measures, must be used to fight the Communists. The new Parliament would certainly favour Italy’s entry to the Western Union. The Vatican secretariat described the results so far as “quite satisfactory”. A communique issued by the Ministry of the Interior, reported the “complete prevalence" of the Christian Democrats. The Premier," Signor de Gasperi, issued a statement saying that the sup-, port given to the Christian Democrats was even greater than the party expected. The result was due to the people’s commonsense. The two largest opposing groups in the elections are Signor de Gasperi’s Christian Democrats supported by Signor Saragat’s Socialist Unity Party (Right Wing Socialists) versus the Popular Front, comprising the Communists under Signor Togliatti, supported by the Left Wing Socialists under Signor Nenni. The third group, the National Bloc, aims at rallying enough support to act as arbiter should neither the Christian Democrats nor the Popular Front be strong enough to govern alone.