Democracy in Russia Recent events in Moscow may have tended
to obscure in the public mind the active preparations that are being made for the coming elections under the new constitution. Last week the Government published the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party to give rank- and-file members a voice in the making or policy and in the appointment of party officials by introducing the principle of election and the secret ballot in place of voting by show of hands. This was followed by publication of the speech to the party conference of M. Zudanoff, assistant secretary of the Party, in which he insisted on the need for new methods if opposition was to be overcome. The secret ballot and thc new Constitution would, he pointed out, allow the oppositior, , from Right and Left, to prosecute its ends by legal methods. The methods hitherto used by the Party would no longer be possible. If Communism was to win, it must choose candi- dates not for mere orthodoxy but for the popular confidence they aroused ; as the Party had only 2,000,000 members, in some cases. it must necessarily give its support to non- party candidates. It seems, therefore, that the Party is ready to face the consequences implicit in the new Constitu- tion. The elections to Party offices will be held on May 20th, and will be followed by the All-Union elections to councilc and Parliaments. Western Europe will watch their results with a lively interest.
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