FRENCH ELECTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18991, 16 April 1936, Page 7

FRENCH ELECTIONS

LEFT WING ALLIANCE EXPECTED TO SUCCEED LONDON, April 7. A victory for the parties of the Left Is expected as a result of the French elections, the campaign for which officially opened to-day. The first ballot will be held on April 26, and the second on May 3. -Despite the complications of the international crisis, it is probable that the economic crisis looms largest in the mind of the electorate. This favours the chances of the Left parties. On the other hand, the Croix de Feu, which will support the Right candidates, claims to Miave gained 300,000 new members in 1935, and to be adding 30,000 to 10,000 a month this year. After the, first ballot, the contest will be between the four main parties—the Communists, the Socialists, and the Radical Socialists (the three comprising the Popular Front), and the Right parties, supported by the Croix de Feu. The willingness of the Socialists and Communists to enter into immediate collaboration with the Radicals in order to fight Fascism has given them good chances at the polls. The creation of the Popular Front between these three parties last Year was 1 an outstanding feature of Trench, polities. They have drawn up and agreed to a programme which includes, nationalisation of the Bank of France.andi the armament industries, the suppression of Fascist leagues, and revalorisation, which, in effect; is subsidisation of agricultural prices.

INFLUENCE OF GERMAN ACTION In a leading article, the Manchester Guardian says: "But for Herr Hitler's action, no would have doubted that the Popular Front would win the elections. The parties of the Right, supported by the armament makers, are desperately trying to split the alliance, but, so far, without success. Evidently they do not place much reliance on the 1,000,000 members of the different Fascist parties. What seems fairly clear is that, despite Herr Hitler's action, the elections will be fought mainly on the domestic question. The safety of the franc is by far the best card in the hands of the Bight and Centre parties, which can threaten that a Popular Front triumph will produce a similar Red peril to that, which is alleged to have emerged in Spain, menacing the savings of shopkeepers and peasants." All parties, broadly speaking, agree on foreign policy, and seek collective security through the League of Nations, strengthened by effective automatic guarantees. The Socialists want disarmament to take front place in any general European settlement. The Communists show special concern for Soviet Russia. The extreme Right Parties regard the League as a cloak for an Anglo-French alliance. M. Laval, being a Senator, is not a candidate at the elections, but he is expected to be active behind the scenes, his main object being to detach as many Radicals as possible from the Popular Front.