GERMAN ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 109, 16 January 1912, Page 5

GERMAN ELECTIONS.

FIRST BALLOT RESULTS. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Berlin, January 14. The state of parties at present is:— Conservatives 35 Centre 85 Socialists 66 National Liberals C , Poles and Danes 16 There will be 189 second ballots a fortnight hence. The Socialists are interested in 117 of these and the Radicals in 53. The Socialists hope to win 40 seats. They claim that they have gained 57,000 votes in Berlin, and increased their vote in the provinces by 32 per cent. The Socialist successes are largely at the expense of the Radicals and National Liberals. Much depends on bargains for mutual support in the second ballots. The Catholic Centre Party is unshaken at present. A BRITISH SOCIALIST MESSAGE. London, January 14. Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald telegraphed to the German Socialists the congratulations of the Britisli Labor Party on the good news to all friends of international solidarity and peace. POLITICAL PARTIES. The centre of political life in the German Empire is the Reichstag, the constitution of which is somewhat complex. The last four general elections have resulted ,is follow: General Elections. Party. 181)3.1898.1903.1907. Centre 90 103 100 105 Conservatives OS 74- 73 83 National, Liberals .. 53. 48 50 55 Social Democrats .. 44 50 82 43 Radicals and Moderate Radicals ...... .48 43 35 51 Poles 'HI 14 16 20 Anti-Semites 17 12 9 30 •Smaller parties ... 32 47 32 'lO 397 397 397 397 •Alsatians, Guelphs. Danes, etc. The transformation of parties which took place in the summer of 1909 was this described by Prince Vulow on his Retirement. "I determined," he said, "to retire because, in consequence of the attitude of -the Conservative party, a political constellation was produced which, to the exclusion of the Liberal parties, including. even the brothers-in-arms of the old Bismarckian Cartel (the National Liberals), brought the Conservatives into the closest alliance with the Centre and the Poles, and thereby gave the Centre once again the controlling party." This combination between Centre and the Conservatives is known as the "blue-black" bloc. The Centre party lias described itself as "fundamentally a political undenominational party, which guards indeed the civil rights of a Catholic minority, but takes its stand upon the Constitution in fulfilling its duty to the Fatherland." The Radical parties of the Left, numbering about 50 members, united under the name of the Progressive People's party.