Evening star., 1947-07-07
sB-8 "THE EVENING STAR Washington, D. C.
Franco Is Confirmed
By 10 10 | in Spain S
First Vote in Years
BY the Associated Press

MADRID, July 7.-Unoficial
returns indicated today that
Spanish voters had ratified. yes
terday by a margin of approx
mately 10 to l law confirming
Generalissimo Francisco Franco
as chief of state and giving him
the right to propose his sue
cessor, who would become either
king or regent.
Results tablulated by the Associ-
ated Press from 1908 out of 21,242
polling places showed 5,664,904
affirmative votes to 350,477 opposed
and 1885 blank. Approximately
16, $4,000 persons were eligible to
vote in the elections-the first in
Spain in II years.
An official announcement Of the
outcome was expected later in the
day. Meanwhile Government COM
ment was limited to a statement by
Interior Minister Bias Perez that
the succession law had been ap-
proved by an overwhelming ma
jority.'
Voting Reported Orderly.
National Security Police said the
voting was generally orderly and
that an accidental death at polling
place in Galician town constituted
the only casualty.
Franco had permitted no organ
lied campaign by the opposition,
which was expected to register its
strength by staying away from the
polling places or by casting blank
ballots.
1t appeared, however, that the
eagerness of Spanish citizens to 60
to the polls after IL years, plus a
tendency to underestimate the
strength of the regime and its prop
aganda, had upset predictions of
comparatively light vote.
In Bilbao, steel making and heavy
machinery center where a May Day
strike saw 10000 workers leave their
jobs in defiance of a government
strike ban, this was especially true.
The city is a stronghold of the
Basque Nationalists, whose govern
ment-in-exile had called for boy
colt of the referendum, yet of 1885,
979 registered voters total of 1885,
TIT cast ballots. Of these 102,871
voted ''yes."
Many in Line to Vote.
In Madrid and throughout the
nation there were long waiting lines
in front of polling places when the
balloting started, but the voting was
fast and few had to wait long.
So far as could be observed, the
voting itself was secet and free.
Many of those who voted against
the succession law had no hesitancy
in saying so. 8
The curtain of secrecy which Is
always around Franco prevented
newsmen from ascertaining whether
the generalissimo himself voted,
though it was rumored he did not.
The ballots gave the voters a
simple Eyes, or mo" choice on the
succession decree which Franco
sent to the Cortes CParliament) last
March on the eve of Spain's "Vic-
tory Day"-eighth anniversary of
frances taking up the reins of
government following the capitula-
ton of the Spanish Republican
armies in 1889.
Can Pick Successor.
In addition to confirming frances
position as "chief of state" the
law declares that Spain is still
monarchy and gives Franco the
right to propose his own successor
at any time. 1t provides for a
Council of the Kingdom to advise
the chief of state on the succession.
The degree also provides that in
event of the chief of states death
or incapacity Council of Regency
would rule until the Council of the
Kingdom could designate a success
sor, who would then have to receive
the approval of two thirds of the
Cortes.
Francois successor, under the law,
would become King or--in the event
no person of royal blood was quail
fied-regent.