POLITICAL MOVES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25082, 21 December 1944, Page 3

POLITICAL MOVES

YUGOSLAV PARTISANS TITO'S NEGOTIATIONS The negotiations between the Royal Yugoslav Prime Minister, M. Subasic, and Marshal Tito, which took place in liberated Yugoslavia as a sequel to the Moscow conference, have led to an agreement to unite the two bodies at the earliest possible moment. Nothing is known, so far, about the personalities who are to form the new Yugoslav Government. The return ol the King is not, for the time being, envisaged. There is to be a Regency Council, whose composition is also, so far, not known. An Anti-Fascist National Council of Liberation is to fill the role of Parliament, but it is not clear whether it will have more than a consultative function. At any rate, it does not seem that anything like a new Constitutional Assembly is to be elected, though, on the other hand, it appears that the prewar constitution of Yugoslavia is regarded as having tacitly lapsed. In appreciating this agreement it has to be remembered that the present Royal Yugoslav Government consists of six Ministers only, of whom four are representatives of Marshal Tito, while the remaining two (the Premier, M. Subasic, and the Finance Minister, Dr Sutej) belong to the Cabinet only in their personal capacity and will not necessarily be members of the future Yugoslav Government. Communists Rule The union of the two bodies will not therefore alter the fact that the only political group behind the new Government will be Marshal Tito's Partisan movement. The political leadership < of this group—in contrast to its fighting rank and file—is exclusively Communist. Marshal Tito is further strengthening I)is hand through the holding of local elections for the anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation immediately after the entry of his liberating forces. Such elections have during recent weeks taken place in the liberated areas ol Slovenia and Dalmatia. In them only one candidate —the candidate of the victorious Partisan movement —is presented to the electorate and duly returned. The present trend of events in Yugoslavia, therefore, points strongly toward an experiment in one-party Government. But the non-Communist parties of Yugoslavia have lately given signs of being quite alive, and it may prove impossible to suppress them altogether, especially after the end of active fighting in the country. Future of Croats The widespread and spontaneous popular demonstrations with which the birthday of Dr Matchek, the loader ol the Croat Peasant "Party, was celebrated throughout Croatia last July contrast impressively with the absence of popular enthusiasm in liberated Belgrade or, indeed, in any other major cities lately entered by Marshal Tito s troops. These circumstances give interest to a report that in the'Subasic-Tito talks the inclusion of representatives of the Croat Peasant Party in the future Yugoslav Government was considered. Such a step would give the Government a broader foundation, at any rate in Croatia, though not in Serbia. Since, however, no representative of the Croat Peasant Party was invited to the talks, the report must, for the time being, be regarded with caution. It is in any case improbable that any democratic party would agree to be represented in a Government without being also represented in Parliament—which would unplv the holding of regular elections. —From the Observer. London