BELGIAN POLITICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19498, 5 June 1925, Page 9

BELGIAN POLITICS

NEW ATTEMPT TO .FORM CABINET. Press Association—By Telegraph— Copyright LONDON, June 3. (Received June 4-, at 8 p-m.) The Times's Brussels correspondent states that another effort is being made to solve Belgium’s protracted Cabinet crisis. Vicomte Pcollet, the_ Flemish. Catholic leader and Minister of the In-.' terior in the Theunis Government, has undertaken the task. He hopes to form a tripartite Ministry, or failing Literal support a. Catholic-Socialist Cabiiict. If he fails a dissolution may be the only way ou t. —The Times. The present instability cf Belgian politics is a sequel to the inconclusive result of the general election last month. Having relied for many years on a system of election by proportional reprasentation, the country has _ had experience of Parliaments in _ which-_?w party has an absolute majority. Tbo constitution of the Chamber of Deputies after the elections of 1921 was ?s follows:—Catholics, 80; Socialists, 67; Liberals, 33; others, 6. A Ministry was formed bv M. Georges Theunis, a retired colonel of artillery,' with five Cathobcs and five Liberals. This Ministry resigned some weeks ago, and Parliament was dissolved. The Socialists znade their opponents answerable for the high price of bread; they came forward as the defenders of the eight hours Aw, which many liberals and Catholics .desired on economic grounds, to modify; they demanded other costly social reforms, and called for the reduction of the terra of compulsory service to 10 months, which was to be lowered later to six. The Rights and Liberals had no such tempting offers to make to the proletariat. All they could do was to point out the undeniable achievements of the Theunis Government in repairing the havoc of the war, balancing the Budget and conducting the foreign policy of the country with all the moderation, which, the peculiar position of Belgium As a result of the election, the Socialists form numerically the largest group m the Chamber, where they have 79 members, a gain H seats. The. Ca-thblioj. number 78, a net loss of two seats, and the Liberals 22, having lost 11 seats. The Communists, hitherto unrepresented, trained two seats, and the extremis* Plamm<rants returned with six seats instead.of four. Following on the elections M. Vandevyere, a member of the Catholic, Party and formerly Minister of Economic Affair* formed a Government, but his Ministry was defeated a few days ago. Burgomaster Max, a Liberal, who moved the vote of censure on the Vandevyere then announced his intention of forming a Ministry irrespective of party as a temporary measure, but he failed in thia design.