Evening star., 1936-04-27
FRENCH ELECTION
FAVORS LEFT|STS
Communists Gain in Paris as
"PeopIe's Front" Dis
plays Strength.
BACKGROUND

- fTSHIIST SUIIu COuttLeOh SOO-
ernment in France has been beset
by DIFFICULTIES In maintaining the
gold standard and in shaping an
International policy ,Dhich Dould
retain the friendship OF both
Britain and Italy. Meanwhile breach
has been widenino between Right
and Left factions.
~ Needing demand OF powertul
Socialist party, Sarraut recently
issued decree outlaping militant
Royalist organizations. Action fol-
Io,ped physical attack on Socialist
Leader Leon Blum. Saraut's cabt-
net succeeded that OF Pierre Ldual,
,phtch fell in January.
Copyright. 1885. by the Associated sress.)
PARIS, April 27.-Sharp Com
munist gains In Paris and the in
dustrial suburbs, and a pronounced
leftist trend elsewhere In the coun-
try were apparent today in returns
from Frances first vote for a new
Chamber Of Deputies.
Failure of candidates in at least
two thirds of the 618 districts to re-
ceive the clear majority necessary for
election, however, as indicated by in
complete returns, left the results In
doubt until next Sundays run-off
elections.
In these close contests, the Leftists
by consolidating their forces, were
expected to emerge victorious, with a
small majority for the peoples front
of Communists, Socialists and Rad
ioal-Socialists indicated for the new
chamber.
The Radical-Socialist party. strong.
est unit of the peoples front. also was
the dominant party in the old cham
her.
179 Deputies Elected.
Official returns for COS of the 6ls
districts reported that ITO deputies
were elected, with 426 run-off elec-
ttonS necessary. The Leftist parties
won 81 seats, 9 of them communist
the Center 81 ard the Rightists Sc.
The Nationalist right wing gained
strength, as we'll as the extreme lett
and the Socialists and Center parties
appeared to bear the heaviest losses
The Communists, however, with
deputies already elected, compared to
their representation of 10 in the ole
chamber, were expected to win as
many as 40 places as result of Their
strong showing ia other districts.
Anxiety over the possibility of wal
and discomfort because of the busi-
ness depression made the balloting one
Of the heaviest in the history OF
France. A record number of 4,807
candidates ran for the 61S seats in
the Chamber.
Devaluation Unpopular.
Anti-devaluation sentiment was
demonstrated as Paul Reynaud and
Raymond Patenotre, leading advo-
Gates of devaluation of the franc, were
thrown into run-off elections, al
though they were elected on the first
ballot in 1882.
All leaders of the Peoples Front
were elected in yesterdays first ballot
OF the IL ministers in Premier AL
bert Sarrauts coalition government
who faced the voters, Foreign Minister
Pierre-Etienne Flandin and seven
others were elected on the first re-
turns, while the other four failed to
obtain a majority and faced run-off
elections.
The major upset came at Lyon,
where Edouard Herriot, former pre-
mier and former president of the
Radical-Socialist party, who was
elected with a majority of 1890 in
the 1882 first ballot, ran 900 votes be-
hind the Nationalist candidate. The
outcome was left for the run-off, with
Herriot's supporters plainly worried.
Daladier Strength Shown.
Edouard Daladier, another former
premier and now president of the
powerful Radical-Socialists, was re-
elected on the first ballot at Orange,
and was expected to make a strong
bid for the premiership if the Peo-
pies Front, of which he has been a
leader, piles up strong majority in
the Chamber.
Leon Blum, outstanding Socialist
chief, and another leader of the
Peoples Front, who was attacked and
beaten recently ty a group of young
Royalists, was reelected to the cham
Der in the Narbonne district.
The country was quiet generally
during the election, but one person was
killed at Marseille during an election
disturbance in which demonstrators
fired at passing automobile on the
Boulevard National. A second occu-
pant of the car was wounded.
At Chateau Thierry, IL Paris stu
dents, who escaped in a motor truck
after an election eve riot and were ar
rested in Meaux last night after hot
cross-country pursuit, were returned
to face charges of carrying arms
Illegally.