FRENCH SENATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19994, 11 January 1927, Page 9

FRENCH SENATE

TRIENNIAL ELECTIONS. LEFTS SEEK ABSOLUTE MAJORITY. (D» ■'ca Association —By Telegraph—Copyright.) PARIS, Januray 9. There is very keen interest in the senatorial elections to-day. Senators hold office for nine years, one-third retiring every three years. This year there are also two by-elections, therefore 107 senators will bo elected from thirty-two departments. M. Caillaux, M. Milleraud, M. Barthou, M. Steeg, M. Clemeutee, and M. de Selves (president of the Senate) are among those seeking re-election, while the deputies who are candidates include M. Raoul Peret and M. Marcel Cachin. The dominant issue of the election is the struggle of the members of the Left to increase their representa ’ *> by a few seats so as to give them an absolute majority.

SOCIALIST SUCCESSES. M. CAILLAUX’S DRAMATIC TURN OF FORTUNE. PARIS, January 10. (Received Jan. 10, at 7.20 p.m.) The 63 Senators already elected include Mm Barthou. Peret, Caillaux, and Clementel. The state of the parties is as follows; — Conservatives 2 Republicans 17 Left Republicans .. .. 14 Independent Radicals .. 6 Socialist Radicals .. .. 20 Republican Socialist .. 1 Socialists 3 M. Milleraud was defeated on the second ballot. Official statistics show that the cartel of the Left has gained nine seats, and the Radical Socialists have lost three; but the Socialists gained eight, the Republican Socialists two, and the Communists two. Out of 108 Senators 67 arc elected for the first time, and 41 are re-elected. M. Deselves was defeated before the election. The seats where old members were defeated were occupied as fellows: —Conservatives, 2; Republicans, 17; Left Republicans, 27; Independent Radicals, 10; Socialist Radicals and Republican Socialists, 50; Socialists, 2. These are now, as a result of the election occupied as follows:—Conservatives, 3; Republicans, 19; Left Republicans, 19; Independent Radicals, 9; Socialist Radicals, 44; Republican Socialists, 2; Socialists, 10; Communists, 2. The most sensational results are recorded in Paris, where no Socialist has hitherto been elected. The success of the Opposition was due to the Communists, who voted for Radical Socialists instead of for their own candidates. The Socialists’ success means the revival of the cartel between the Radical Socialists and Socialists, which triumphed in the Chamber elections of 1924. A probable result will be that M. Poincare’s majority will be dangerously reduced. It is expected that M. Caillaux will be asked to succeed M. Deselves in the presidency of the Senate. He will thus become the head of the Court of Justice which sentenced him a decade ago.—A. and N.Z. Cable.