Voted With Pictures Of Dr. Benes

Chronicle (Levin), 1 June 1948, Page 5

Voted With Pictures Of Dr. Benes

Received Mondav, 7 p.m. LONDON, -May 31. Tlie Czech nation on •Sunday voted at the generai elections in an atniospliere of compiete cairn with 110 delnonstrations at least in the capitaJ reports Tlie Times Prague corresponuent. The majority of voters voted publiclv and did not botlier to go beliind the s'creen to piave the voting- paper m tlie ballot box. Tlie .sereen was in fact placed beyond tlie ballot box in nianv polling booths. On the other liand, m the bootli wliere eorrespondents were taken, voters were instructed to use tne privacv of tlie sereen but that niight have been for the benelit of the visiting eorrespondents. The Daily Alail's Prague eorresponuent said many voters ostentatiousiy made a jmblie vote because they feared tlie use of the privacy of the sereen would elassify them as "an eneniv or the Republie." It is believed, how!ever, that many anti-Oommunists beat the svsteiu liy putting a blank in their enyelope stufl'ing (roveniment tiekets ni their poeket, and' tlien disearding the false blank voti'ng paper supplied ny the " underground. ' ; Prague radio anndunced at midnigin that the eounting of the votes at that stage showed an election victory of Sb .pojiieent. for tlie. .Oovefpinent. The oilieial eoinmentator said the pereentage of blank votes was "evidentlv due to some lnisunderstanding. " The British Pnited Press eorresponu er.t at Prague says it is unoffieially re ported thut offieials of the Czeeh Commuuist Ministry of Interior, last niglit dismissed eity emplovees eounting eieetion votes and told them the Ministrv would finish the job. A n'lember of tno Prague statistie offiee toki eo'rrespondents that the vote ranged from 20 to 30 pvr eent. against the Government, going as high as 50 per eent. in some dislriets. The eorrespondent addca that niany Czeehs said they put a picture of Dr. Benes in the ballot box mstead of a blank voting eard. They eould then diseard the blank eard m publie seeming to indieate they had voted for the Government.