Evening star., 1948-07-04

Its Parliament
Imperial Structure Due
for a Change in
Netherlands
AMSTERDAM.-Holland elects a
new Parliament July Z which is
expected to ratify decision chang
ing this country's imperial structure.
The present Parliament was
elected in 1916 and ordinarily would
serve until 1850. However, the rela-
tionship of the homeland and the
rich Netherlands East Indies, half a
world away from Europe, is to be
changed early next year. This re-
quires a constitutional amendment.
The Netherlands constitution pro-
vides that the adoption of constitu-
tional amendments must be Cd fol-
flowed by dissolution of Parliament
and election of new Parliament
and co approved by a two-thirds
majority in both houses of the new
Parliament.
Required to Vote
So the Dutch are holding a gen.
eral election to elect new Second
Chamber dover house)' Of the
States General (ParliamenD. All
citizens over the age Of % who live
in the homeland must vote, except
those who lost their rights through
collaboration with the Nazis.
The First Chamber, or Senate
will be chosen July 8 by provincial
councils. The new Parliament will
convene July q and then vote on
the four constitutional amendments
adopted last month by the present
Parliament.
If adopted, the key amendment
will guide relations between the
homeland and the vast archipelago
Known as the Netherlands East
Indies.
Queen Wilhelmina has declared
that "colonialism is dead in the
Indies" The Dutch plan now is to
create a union between the Neither
lands and the projected United
States of Indonesia, which would be
a federation of the Indies islands
This federation is tentatively sched-
uled to come into being January l.
1949.
Another proposed amendment Is
aimed at potential fifth columns
It is designed to prevent the forma.
ton of a fifth column which Nigh,
try to set up a totalitarian system
with the aid Of certain foreign
power"
New Amendments
A third amendment was made
necessary by Queen Wilhelmina'
announcement that she Will abdicat'
next September. This one woule
provide an annual income for any
ruler who has abdicated. The fourth
amendment would create undersec'
retaries or vice ministers IN the gov
ernment-a function so far unknown
in the Netherlands.
Whether the Catholic-Labor Co
alition, government headed by Pre-
mier DR.. L. j. M. Beel remains II
office will depend on the politica
makeup of the new Parliament. Th'
coalition now controls 81 of the lower
houses 100 seats. With 81 seats TIT
middle-of-the-road Catholics are th'
strongest party. The Laborites nav
% seats.
The lineup among other parties
Conservative (Calvinist) Anti-Rev'
olutionary, 13 seats; Christian-His'
torical Party, another conservative
Protestant group, 8; Communists
/ 10: Conservative Party of Freedom
g. and the Reformed State Party
another Protestant group, 2.
The coalition faces a stif1 chal'
llenge from conservative parties, bu'
it is expected to retain its majority
in the lower house. Political OBJ
servers say the Catholic Party prob.
ably won't lose more than one seat
Reds No Threat
The Communists, trounced ir
Italy's April elections, apparently
face another setback. Even some
Dutch Communists agree with mem
bers of other parties that the Com.
| munists are on the skids in Holland
The 1s46 elections boosted. ths
political prestige Of the Communist
Party, which had polled only 3.3s
per cent of the vote in the last
previous election in 1887. In 194t
the Communists polled more thar
500, 900 votes, or better than 10 pei
/ cent Of the total.
| Now the general expectation Il
that the Communist vote will SLUMP
20 per cent below this figure.
/ How the other parties will fare y
anybody's guess. The Labor Party
which now holds % seats, hopes tt
capture some Of the Communis1
vote. But the Laborites may lost
some votes to the new Peoples Part!
for Freedom and Democracy. It i
headed by the Mayor OF Rotterdam
DR.. Pieter J. Oud, q former Laborite
Distributed by the Associated 1ressJ
O.