OPEN VOTING FOR ONE PARTY IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Grey River Argus, 1 June 1948, Page 5

OPEN VOTING FOR ONE PARTY IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

A Foregone “Win” for Communists £ C. 9 9 FEW VILLAGERS ONLY - ONES GAME TO VOTE BLANK PRAGUE, May 30. Victory for the Communist-domin-ated National Front was a foregone conclusion when the counting' started in the Czechoslovak elections. The only point to be determined by the count is how many voters- returned blank papers. There was widespread lack ot facilities for a secret vote. This destroyed the Opposition hopes of a show of strength. In many villages voters with bands playing marched to the polls behind Communist leaders and voted publicly. The number of voters in Prague who returned blank forms in nine wards was less than one per cent., says Reuter’s Prague correspondent. Two villages produced more tnan 20 per cent, blank votes. The British United Press correspondent says that, judging by reports, nine out of ten Czech voters registered their votes publicly. In Ostravaan Kosice, the garrison led by officers marched to the booths and voted publicly. In small villages where the action committees knew personal political viewpoints there was often a 100 per cent. pro-Government vote. The Prague radio said that people “nearly everywhere” voted in public because the “Government supporters did not believe it was necessary to hide”. There was no way of knowing how many insincere votes hid Opposition sympathies. Foreign correspondents who were escorted on an official tour of Prague polling booths during the voting, saw clear evidence that the vote was overwhelmingly for the National Front. The opportunity for secret voting varied at booths. Every voter at one where the correspondents looked on was shown how to vote secretly and most of them did. In another, where officials were unaware of the press visitors, no attempt was made to guide voters to a private- voting cubicle, and, except when one set an example to the others, most of them voted publicly. Though the authorities said yesterday they would not permit individual correspondents to enter election premises, election committees welcomed Reuter’s correspondent when he showed an ordinary press card.

Anti-Government Vote More Than Expected HOW SOME VOTERS FOOLED THE REGIME (Rec. 9.50). LONDON, May 31. The Prague radio announced on Sunday at midnight that the counting of the votes at that stage, already showed an election victory of eightynine per cent, for the Government. The official commentator said that there was a per centage of blank votes, but that was “evidently due to some misunderstanding.” The British United Press correspondent in Prague says:—“lt is unofficiallv reported that officials of the Czech Communist Ministry of the Interior on Sunday night dismissed the City employees who were counting the election votes, and told them that the Ministry would itself finish the job. ■ . . A member of the Prague Statistics Office told the correspondent that the vote ranged from twenty to thirty per cent, against the Government, and it was going as high as fifty per cent, against ' the Government in some districts.

The correspondent added: “Many Czechs said that they had nut a picture of Dr. Benes in the ballot-box, instead of a blank voting card. They could then discard the blank card in r.ublic. thus seeming to indicate that they had voted for the Government.” Many People Afraid to Vote Secretly “UNDERGROUND” HELPS OTHERS (Rec. 9.50). LONDON, May 31. The Czech nation on Sunday voted in general elections. There was an atmosphere of complete calm,, with no demonstrations, at least in the capital, reports the “Times” correspondent in Prague. The great majority of the voters in fact, voted publicly. They did not bother to go behind the screen to place the voting paper in the ballotbox. The screen was, in fact, placed beyond the ballot-box in many of the polling booths. . On the other’ hand, in a booth where press correspondents were taken, ’the voters were there instructed to use the privacy of the screen. But that might have been for the benefit of the visiting correspondents. , „ The “Daily Mails” Prague correspondent said: “Many of -the voters ostentatiously made public , their vote, because they feared that if they used the privacy of the screen, they would classify themselves “an enemy of the Republic.” It is believed, however, many’ of the anti-Commumsts beat the system by putting a blank in their envelope, while stuffing the Government ticket in their pocket, and then discarding a false blank voting paper which has been supplied to them by the “Underground.” Expedients of Regime Fail to Hide Opposition (Rec 11.0 p.m.) LONDON, May 31. Reuter’s correspondent at Prague states.—Political quarters in Prague are surprised at the strength of the Opposition in the election. The blank votes and non-valid votes and abstentions from voting have represented 20 per cent, of the total registered electors. , x , The Prague radio has subtracted the non-valid votes from the returns. Thus it was increasing the Government proportion of votes. The official reports also have ignored the abstentions.