THE SOVIET POLLS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 69, 14 December 1937, Page 5

THE SOVIET POLLS

-Presa Assn.-

Only Two Out of 1143 Seats are Contested

68 WOMEN CANDIDATES

(By Telegraph-

-ronyrielit.)

MOSCOW, Dec. 12. Crowds waited for the polling stations to open at 6 a.m. for Kussia's fir.t genrral election. The votes are expected to total 100,000,000 for -"-.e election. of 569 members of the Council of the Union, and 574 members of the Council of Nationalities. These two ehambers together will form the highest governing body —ider the ne - constitution adopted on December 5 of last year. There are 68 women candidates. Though the voting is secret, the signing of ballot papers is permitted. However, as only two seats are contested out of the total of 1143, the voter need only seal the paper in the envelope provided and drop it into the box. The president of the Central Executive Committee, M. Kalinin, in explaining the reason for the absence of contosts, said: "Among us, if some candidates withdraw in favour of one, it is due to social kinship and community of political ideas." Hundreds of thousands of electors, after discussion, decided to nominate one personally. Later: It is claimed that every eliglble person, except the bedridden, voted at the capital's 1400 polling stations, M. Stalin receiving a 100 per cent. poll. Similar results are expected throughout the Soviet. Polling closed at midnight, when the counting began.