Evening star., 1954-01-07
Italian Prospect

Only the Kremlin and It's followers can be
cheered by the trend of events in Italy. For the
trend, as Symbolized by Premier Pella'S reSigna-
ton, is toward political instability Of the sort
that has plagued France for several years past
And it Is particularly diSheartening because it
seems to be rooted in perversely stubborn
tendency on the part of the middle-of- -the-road
parties to let factionalism destroy the strength
and unity with which they were once able to
establish effective and durable governments
Thus, to illustrate the point, Mr.. Pella and
his cabinet have quit not because of an adverse
parliamentary vote, but because of opposition
to him by certain groups within his own
Christian Democratic Party These groups
made up of the party's less conservative lead-
erS-have forced him out by refusing to sane
ton number of his actions, including his
decision to name as Minister of Agriculture
man whom they regard as too "rightist" to be
trusted with the job of carrying out Italy's
urgently needed land reforms. AS result, the
country now faces a French-style governing
crisis whose chief beneficiaries are likely to be
the Communists.
This crisis could have been avoided If the
Christian Democrats had placed country above
faction, and if they had sought in that spirit
to get the other center parties (the Liberals,
Republicans and moderate Socialists to join
them again in firm coalition of the type that
was headed so successfully by Alcide De Gasperi
for several years prior to last June's elections.
After all, since they constitute by far the
biggest single party in Italy, the Christian
Democrats are fundamentally strong. Accord
ingly, if they revived their former unity and
won back the sure support of the Liberals,
Republicans and moderate Socialists they
would have sufficient strength in Parliament to
organize genuinely stable government capable
of surviving any combined opposition from the
extremists on left and right.
Actually, as far as their real strength is
concerned there is good reason to believe that
the center parties won more than so per cent Of
the vote in the June general elections. True
enough, the first official returns showed that
they won fraction less than that, but it is an
open secret in Italy that great numbers of
ballots were invalid or miScounted and that If
a thorough recount were made and enforced
as one is supposed to be-the findings would
entitle the middle -the-roaders to IS per cent
of the parliamentary seats, as provided for in
1taly'S bonus" electoral law. Indeed, according
to some reports, recount might well give a
clear-cut majority to the Christian Democrats
standing by themselves.
But the ways of politics are so strange that
Iuc NIL11SLldu OcIIlOCIdLS dUQ dIl Ine OIUcE
parties-left and right-seem intensely reluc-
tant to go through with the recount. They ap-
parently feel this way because they fear, among
other things, that the findings might invalidate
legislation already passed by the present
Parliament, or that they might require new
elections too expensive for anybody to afford,
or that they might unseat so many Communists
that the latter would resort to violence or
organize paralyzing strikes.
In sum- Italy's middle -the-road leaders
appear to be ready to deny to themselves the
very strength they must have for effective gov
ernment in a country where effective govern
ment is sorely needed. Meanwhile, too, they
further weaken themselves with internal feud-
ing. Such prospect as seen from Moscow. is
undoubtedly pleasing one, but for the Italian
people and the free West as whole it Is no
good at all.