22 FEBRUARY 1946, Page 2

The Belgian Elections

The Social Christian, or Catholic, Party made large and surprising gains in the Belgian elections held last Sunday. They increased their representation in the Chamber from the 74 seats they won in 1939 to 92 ; on the other hand, the Liberals, who form the other half of the Conservative element in the Chamber, dropped from 33 to 18. It is to be presumed that the Catholic gains were made up of votes from the suppressed parties of the Flemish nationalists and the Rexists, and of the Liberal losses ; their gains are significant, because the Catholics are the only party who support the return of King Leopold. They are now the largest party in the Chamber, but without an absolute majority. M. van Acker's party, the Socialists, increased from 63 to 68, and the Communists from 9 to 23. The new Union Democratique Populaire, which represents the Belgian resistance, won only one seat. The Parliamentary situation is there- fore complicated- and difficult. The question of the monarchy divides the Catholics and the Liberals ; a Socialist-Communist coalition would require Liberal support also if it is to be assured of a majority. At the moment the Regent has asked the Catholics to investigate the possibility of forming a government, but it is expected that in the end the government will have to be based on the Socialists and under the leadership of M. van Acker or M. Spaak. The situation in Belgium repeats a pattern which has be- come familiar all over Europe : a concentration of conservative forces around the Catholics and a movement on the Left towards the Com- munists, with the Socialists maintaining an uneasy balance. In Bel- gium this unstable situation is further complicated by the question of the king, but a satisfactory solution will be easier to find because Belgium has, by courageous efforts, gone far to overcome the under- lying economic instability which afflicts most European countries.