BITTER ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21166, 26 April 1932, Page 9

BITTER ELECTION.

PRUSSIAN DIET.

NAZIS STRONGEST PARTY.

GOVERNMENT'S REVERSE.

POSITION OF COMMUNISTS.

BALANCE OF POWER HELD.

By Association—Copyright. (Received April 25, 5.5 p.m.) BERLIN, April 24. Polling for the election of a new Prussian Diet took place to-day. A semiofficial report gives the final result as follows:

Seats Opposition (including 160 Nazis) 196 Government Parties . . . . 162 Communists . k•• 56

The feature of the election was the swallowing-up of the Right Parties by the Nazis. This was illustrated by the final return from the Oppeln district of Silesia. There the Nazis increased their vote from 63,000 in 1930 to 212,000, at the expense of tho Nationalists. The other Right Parties were almost wiped out. The results have fulfilled the predictions of the Nazis that they would displace the Socialists as the strongest Party in the State, but they have not achieved an absolute majority as the Communists hold the balance of power. Numerous Partisan Scuflles.

Imperial, Republican, Nazi and Communist flags fluttered throughout. Prussia all day, those of the Nazis, and Communists predominating in the workers' districts.

Polling was brisker than at the second ballot for the Presidential election, Tlio struggle oame, to a climax at midnight, when all the leaders addressed mass meetings.

Hen* Hitler's efforts failed at Hamburg. He suffered through his opponents tampering with a loud-speaker, as a result of which the Nazi champion's fulminations were temporarily inaudible. There were numerous partisan scuffles in Berlin, necessitating 200 arrests. 'J ho campaign was conducted with even greater bitterness in tlio provinces. One of the worst collisions occurred at Breslau, where more than a dozen Nazis, Communists and Socialists were sent to hospital. Serious Results of Disturbances. Two Nazis were killed in clashes. One was shot at Berlin and the other stabbed at the village of Ilamborn, where Communists charged a Nazi procession, wounding several distributors of leaflets and fatally injuring tlio " storm troops' " leader. There was a serious outbreak at Duisburg in a concert hall. A farmer was relating his experiences in Russia when a Communist threw a hand grenade into the auditorium. It did not explode, however. In the subsequent fighting chairs and various weapons were used and 30 people were injured, several of them seriously. The pil"t of a Nazi propaganda aeroplane made a forced landing at Dusseldorf. Communists mobbed him and attempted to set fire to his machine. J lie police finally rescued him. Frequent disturbances occurred in the Rhineland and Westphalia. Policemen armed with carbines were kept busy patrolling the cities throughout the country and hundreds oE arrests were made.

Prussia, which comprises the larger portion of Germany, was proclaimed a Republic on November 1.3, 1918. Ihe Constitution, adopted on November 30, 1920, gives a vote fo every citizen, male and female, over 20 years of ago in general, equal, secret and direct suffrage. Besides tho Diet (Landtag) there is a State Council (Staatsrat) elected by the Provincial Assemblies on the basis of one representative for every 500,000 inhabitants. The function of the Slate Council is to advise* and control the Diet. It has the right of rejecting legislation adopted by the Diet. The Premier is elected by tho Diet and ho appoints tho other members of the Cabinet. Jho Diet is elected for four years on the principle of proportional representation by secret and direct, ballot. At. tho last election for a Parliament, on May 20, 1920, the result was as follows : Social Democrats . . . . 137 Centre (Catholics) . . . . 71 German National Party . . 82 National Socialist? . . . . German People's Party . . 40 Democrats . . . . - - 21 Communists . . . . . . 56 F.cnnoniic Party . . . . 21 German Hanoverians . . . . 4 Farmers' Partv . . - - German Pace Party . . . . 2 People's Right Party . . . . 2 Total 450 The Government, which has been in power since April 4, 1925, is ivd by llerr Otto Broun, as Premier.