Oldal 2 [2]
OCR
O- July 52 - page two » Henee election experts of the three goverrmment parties meet now regularly and map out their campaign. They have decided to present only common candidates for elections. The personality to be presenter in each district will not be selected aecorfing to a system of party proportions, but on the basis of best chance to obtain victory. Only by trying to unite all the votes ean the present governmental coalit: hope to defeat the powerful socialist opposition. An election campaign however is a costly enterprése. Resources too have to be pooled, just as much as means of propaganda and wesse Everywhere a common front hes to appear. In the federal capital of Bonn, election responsibles and campaigners have no time to enjoy vacations during the present summer weeks. = opoosi tions socialists and neuvtralists strongest power in opposition is Sr. @ehunacher's SPD, the socialist party. They too are preparing their campaign. Their main theme is the unification of Germany, an appeal that goes right to the feeling of the masses. ith it socialists hope to secure not only workers! votes and Union support, but also to unite around a same flag all the divergent neutralist elements, These are Pastor Niemoeller's group who, having the majority of his supporters beyond the Iron Curtain, looks for a united Germany as means to strengthen his influence and powers These are some of the former Nazi, Wehramacht and Abwehr members, who feel that a united Germany, with a national army would give them greater power and position than a Western Germany, tied to to a European Defense System, Finally these are certain powerful industrialists who hope for a united German market to favor their production aims. Not for ideological, but for tactical reasons, these groups are ready for a marxkst alliance. If the socialists are strong and clever enough to give them founded hopes for a untted Germany s neutralists will fully support them, regardless of conseggencese The expelleese x rokativels new element in German inner polities is formed by the expellees. They are the several millions of German-speking population that had to leave their homeland in the East. On the basis of international ruling, they were to be accepted by Germany on equal footing with the local population and to be given equality in civil and political rights. However, in questions of daily life, of employment and housing, of feeling and traditions, “equal footing" cannot simply be imposed by law. Deppite a great deal of good will, much friction and misunderstanding followed necessarily the influx of such great number of new populations. Politically speaking, the expelled masses at first split up according to existing German parties as these most resembled affiliations and loyalties they previously held in their own country. Conservatives thus supported the CDW, liberals the FDP, leftists the SDP, Once the first shock passed however, expellees recognized their potential strength and the likeness of their interests in the whole economic and social field. They decided thus, instead of splitting their efforts, to group and fight untted for their common aim: at present to seeure the maximum advantages for their people now in 42,
