by Gur Augtrvion Correspondent At the Genaral Election on May 10 the Sosialist Ferty of Austrin (SFA) athievyed tonsiderablse. success; spaning the Largest minber of Yotsa teat, 1,953,566, an inorense of 80,0 Gn the 1956 cleoticra. Tha loading bourgeois Forty, the People’s Forty (PP) recudvad lease votes, obtaining 1,927,690, a loss of 72,000 on previows figures. Because cf the electaral syeten, the PP gained an extra gant, mving 79 saainet the SFa'a 78.
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The second bourgesols ermping, having a noo=fiseist tentenosy, obtained $30,000, a gnin of 50,000, The Communist Party (KPA), due largely to ite Stalinist policy, polled only 142,090 votes, a logs of 50,000, It is ‘not represented in the new Farlingent.
The election results indicate a-defeat of the bourgecisie. The FP had twice requested an early election becemise cf the economic daterioration which was apparent by the autuan cf 1998. There wae a reduction of axparty maidnly dae to sharp foreign conpetiticn. The farratian of the Furopesn Common Market added to austrin's problems. The bouwrgecisie hoped imt an early alaction vould iopreve ite election prespects. This hops did not tmterial isa.
The success of the SPA is due to both chjectiva and subjective factora. Objectivyely, the rapid industrialisation of recent years, which today is at about the sane level as teleiun a Switgerland, asaisted 14, The mumber of people enployod is now 2ef ulllions, the highest figure ever, This ds favourable to the GFA in an cleotion, ssapecially in the regent eloctiona, When one considers the shanelessneas with which the bourgeoisie anounced the anti-woarking clase measures which were to be inplensrted after the vietory of the FF, one sees that thease neasures were to inolude the de= mtlonolisation of induatry, attecks on the social welfore services, raiging of rents, etc., along with other usnsures favourable to the capitalist class The bourgeoisie, moreover, openly acknowledged Dollfuse, the "hangman" of 1934, and declared ite authoritarian aing = stimulated, no doubt, by the sucoces of de Gaulle in Francs.
This combination of cbjective with subjective factors has fsvoured the SFA. Tings by no neane does the Hight Wing lesdorahip owe ite’ electoral success to ita opportunist policy (since 1945 1% hes partleipotad:in a Coalition Government) or its new, equally opportunist, Party programme.
In the protracted negotiations to forn a Goverrment, which have been gelnge on singe May 10, the SPA was ina net entirely disadvartagecus position, The bourgeois FP, led by Raab, recognising the situaticn, did nel wish to fnoe fresh: elections, at which It. would umioubtedly suffer o still more painful defeate Neither was the correlation of foroce sufficiently in ite favour to emble it to dissolve the Conlition without the @anger-of mae reaction fron the working class,
A0tang upon this osseasnent of the oorralation of forges,-.and faced by. a Droge of denoma Fron the OFA Leadership, demenis which aubrase soma. of, the decisive preblenms of Government policy (the safeguarding of mi tionaliged ingustry atid the proteotion of the sotial services, eateo.), after weeks of negotigtion, Haab at last took an unexpected tactdonl. sbap,; ard offered ithe Finance Ministry, hithearts in the hands of a trusty of Mig Business, ta tha SPA. | Reab’a intention was to place the SFA in the invidious position cf having io take respomsibility for any unpleasant economic meapures that cay be necdeds in the hope thot. at a later stoge he could repove then fron the Govrartmenn without the danger of tase reactions.
Tiiis nove of Raab has precipitated a profouml orisia within the FF. | The indon of industrialists hae datended an oni to the Coalition, and is urging that a strong Line be taken agsinst tha Sfi. for esr cof ite insisting on ite decminmlsc. The offer of the finned Minitetey omacerboted the reroalt. of tha induptrinligta, forcing than into association with anue of the provinoial lenders of the FP to rejiaot Rasb's sotdon,
The bourgedisie ig no daubt intent on forcing the GFa to ebsndon ite dananice, or ta accept the breaking of the Volition, furdne the last few years, the hourgecisic has been able, in schna.axtracedinary way, to anellorate its econceic, ag well as ite extra-perlianentery position, through the creation of a new comedsration arny, already twice as strong as in 1947. As has beon devonstrated, there is considerable division of oplniome to the preeiac evaluation of the relaticnshin cf forces, ane group believing that a further internediate phase 1g needed to omible the SPA to exhaust iteelf: the other group, headed by the big indugtrinligste, thinks that the monert for a breach with the 5ch hos-already arrived,
his quarrel insides the ranks of the bourgeolsiv orester os Zarourabls
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aituation for the working Glass, If utilisad by thea SFA londership, The
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: Os leadership, however, prefers to pavk a comprepise solutica rather than take ‘ the offersive and preas ita demamis to safeguare the living staniards of tne * nagses, protest nmoationmmlised Industry and gocial perviote, and press for frésh elections. It is net excluded that the leadership of the 5M) may yet prese for the latter. ‘The Srk Leadership Sins itself in a Very diffiewlt situation. If it fergoes ite deueands, it only noves further dite the bourgeols canps with the latter hoping that the 664 wil. coupe caiga ite ealf in tha oyes of the nasaca. There can ba no: doubt timt the elections have tegucht shout considerable changes in Austrias A period of growing instability is dumiinents The bourgeoisie, while seeking an ent bo the aoslition with the Sf ab soon as possible, ig at the sane tine preparing a brutal offensive endnet the mMaeoeae Tha forces are coming out in the open, emi, ag in the First Republic, signify tha danger of yiolerth suppression of the working clace. Forturately the working class hes today sufficient strength to frustrate tha plans of the bourgecisits It gave now electoral successes to the oF in Mey, ami further slections will Bac tha SPA enarge aa the strongest’ rae uy in both votes ami seatee. In these olircucstances, extraordinarily favour able prospects open for the working class struggle. Dut the real isaues Wail be fought out not only in the field of perlisnentary elections, bus on the axtra=parlianentary level. LRITALH