The Italian Indicator The parties who by common consent awed
that the Italian local government elections, the first batch of which took place in north and central Italy at the week-end, were to be of major national significance must find themselves a little puzzled at the moment. The Prime Minister, Signor de Gasperi, has him- self led the way in emphasising the importance of the elections, but his party, the Christian Democrats, have lost votes every- where. The Communists, whose performance has naturally been watched very closely, have lost control of Genoa and Venice, and a great deal has been made of this sct-back ; but the other parties have still to digest the fact that the Communist Vote was higher than at the national elections of 1948. The democratic parties—Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Republicans—have generally reduced Communist power in the municipal and provincial councils, but they owe most of this success to their decision to work together as a block. For the rest. anyone who wants to attach deep significance to the fact that both the Liberals mist the Neo-Fascists considerably increased their votes is free to do so. But the very inconclusiveness of the voting on Sunday and Monday may serve to attract more attention to the second instalment, in north and central Italy. on June 10th, and the third, in Rome and the south, later in the year. In the spring of 1948 the Italian people gave great encouragement to the free world by stopping the Communist advance at a general election. They have an opportunity to drive home in 1951 the further lesson that Communists can only be kept in check by constant vigilance and democratic unity.
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