Evening star., 1950-04-30
New Belgian Elections
Set June 4 as Regent
.DissoIves Parliament
BY The Associoted Press

tIlelT views on LDe hlng Leopold
question for the third time in a
year by electing a new Parliament
June 4.
The old Parliament was dis
solved by Regent Prince Charles
today. Seven weeks of fruitless
negotiations had followed the
March II referendum on whether
the people wanted the return of
the exiled monarch who surren-
dered Belgium to the Germans in
1910.
In the new election. the pro-
Leopold Social Christians. anti
Socialists and small Liberal Party
will be the main contenders.
The new Parliament will sit on
June 20. Until new government
is formed, there can be no solu-
ton of the Leopold question. The
King and his 19-year-old heir
apparent. Prince Baudouin. will
remain in exile in Switzerland.
Campaign Starts Monday.
Premier CASTOR EyskenS, whose
Social Christian-Liberal cabinet
collapsed last March in dead
lock, remains in Office at the head
of a caretaker regime to conduct
the elections.
The electoral campaign will get
an early push Monday when
Socialists and Communists will
hold anti-Leopold demonstrations
in May Day parades throughout
the country.
On Sunday, June 4, about
million men and women will
elect 212 new members to the
Belgian House of Representatives,
ITS new Senators and 696 pro-
vincial councillors.
The new Parliament will replace
the one elected June 26, 1949, in
which the Social Christians had
majority in the Senate, but failed
by two votes of having majority
in the lower house.
The lineup in the old parlia-
ment was:
Senate-Social Christians, 90;
Socialists, 81; Liberals, 26; Com
munists, 6.
House of Representatives-So-
cial Christians, los; Socialists, 66;
Liberals, %; Communists, IL.
Failed to Get Majority.
In the l949 election the Social
Christians campaigned on pro-
Leopold platform. They sue
ceeded in getting a bill passed
calling for an advisory referen-
dunn.
In the referendum, King Leo
pold won 5768 per cent of the
nationwide vote, but failed to
get a majority in two divisions of
the country, French-speaking
Wallonia in the south and east,
and the central area of Braband
and Brussels. He won a large
maj ajority in the Flemish speaking
north.
Socialists said they would not
accept a "57 per cent king" and
staged a series of strikes as
sample of the social chaos which
they said would result from his
return.
Leopold said it was up to Par
thament to decide whether he
should be called back to the
throne.
The eight Liberal members of
the cabinet, who had taken the
position that Leopold must win
majority in all parts of the coun-
try, baked at calling Parliament
into joint session to end the
regency, and the government col
lapsed.
Premier Eyskens. 81-year-old
Henri Carton de Wharf and Paul
van iceland. all Social Christians,
and Albert Deveze, a Liberal tried
in vain to form new government.
Fail on Compromise.
On April Is the Kings voice was
heard in Belgium for the first
time in 10 years. 1t was the oroad-
cast of recording he had made
at his residence in Pregny, Switz-
erland, offering to turn over his
powers temporarily to Prince Bau-
douin.
The three parties were Unable
to negotiate a compromise even
on this basis. The Socialists
wanted to make sure the Kings
abandonment of his powers would
be permanent. The Social Chris
tians hoped it would be tempo
rary.
The Socialists reported thai the
King said privately he would re-
main ouE of the country during
Prince Baudouin's regency. They
requested q written contract, but
the King saiG in effect, NO, take
my word for it."
Premier-Designate van iceland
then attempted negotiations with
the Liberals, leaving the Socialists
out. He Offered TO step out and
leave the way open for Jean Du-
: vieusart, Minister of Economic
Affairs and a moderate Walloor
Social Christian, to be premier.
Last night Mr.. van iceland gave
: the Liberals an ultimatum to ac-
cept his proposition or face the
! electorate in a new election.
The Liberals split and were un-
,, able to come to a decision. Today
Mr.. van iceland went to Prince
= Charles with dissolution decree
and the regent signed it.
Roger Motz, president of the
Liberal Party, resigned in protest
J against the position of some Lib
eral ministers which made agree
; ment with the Social Christians
, impossible.
walking one mile exertS cr-