Christian Democrat Victory Almost Certain

Chronicle (Levin), 21 April 1948, Page 5

Christian Democrat Victory Almost Certain

(N.Z.P.A.-

Reuter .

, Oopyright) '

Received Wednesday, 1 p.m. ROME, April 20. A Ministry of th.e Interior tabulation of threequarters of the votes in the Senate eleetions demonstrated conclusively this afternoon that Italy has endorsed Signor de Gasperi's Government and rejected Communism. The Christian Democrats received 47.4 per cent of the Senate votes and the Popular Front 31.1 per cent. The- defeat of the Communist Party is even more sweeping when the votes for the Socialist Unity Party (Right-wing Socialists) are added to those of the Christian Democrats. La Republica is the flrst Popular Front newspaper to admit that the Christian Democrats are leading. Rome political circles regard this admission as an indication that the Popular Front will accept the results and will not attempc violence. Only at Bologna, which is cnlled the "Italian Kremlin," did the Christian Democrats trail, and even there not by much. The Christian Democrats are leading in Fiore.ice, Genoa and Venice. Some thought that the rural vote might have been more heavily proGovernment because of the Catholic influence, but the Communist promise to give them land apparently influenced the peasants. The newest attempt to resurrect Fascism in the Italian social movement got nowhere in the north., but in Rome it is running third.