ONLY ONE NAME IN RUSSIAN ELECTIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 12 February 1947, Page 2

ONLY ONE NAME IN RUSSIAN ELECTIONS

MOSCOW IN GALA MOOD LONDON, Feb. 9. Ten thousand volers iu .sonvo districts of Mosctow liled eyery liour into the carpeted polJing stution.s today so that thev couJd drop into tha bailot boxes the ballot papers vvliieh lield one name— Generaiiijsuno Stalin, saj's Reuter's eorrespondent in Moscovv. Peneils were provided in the booths so that vote'rs if tliey so wislied "could cross out Htalin's l-ame, which would eount as a vote against him. Some voters dropped their papers into the boxes vvitliout even entering the voting I booths. ! A huge bronze statue of Stalin on a red velvet pcdestal encircled by tluorescent lights stood at the polling stations. It depicted him with his.arm around'a little girl who had just presented/hini with a bouquet of flowerst The city is in a gala niood "for tlie elections. Residents of Moscow in a 44 degrees frost saw skating, skiing and motor-cycle contests. Stalin himself in a pre-eleetion speeeh struck * the keynote: ' ' This is really a national holiday. There have never before in the world been such truly, free and clemocratie elections. ' ' Eleetors elsewhere- in Russia were voting for the . representatives to the Supreiue Sovicts (the Parliaments) of the 16 Kepublics. In 740 electoraL districts there "vvas not oue Oppositioh | candidate. • ;•