A separate Electoral College for the Jews will be retained in the new Parliamentary elections which take place on March 5th, it became known today, while proportionate elections will apply to the remainder of the population.
Under the separate Electoral College, Jews are entitled to but two seats in Parliament.
The present decision blasts the hopes of the Jews that the discrimination which has been practiced in the past will be abolished. A promise to this effect was given by the Tsaldaris Ministry, but the short-lived existence of the Tsaldaris cabinet prevented it from realizing its pledge.
A motion to abolish the separate Electoral College was introduced in Parliament by Daniel Allalouf, Jewish deputy from Salonica, and was supported by seven non-Jewish deputies. The same day, however, the cabinet of Premier Tsaldaris fell.
The Zionist parties are for the present showing no keen interest in the election campaign which opened today. Their attitude will probably depend on the Jewish candidates for election.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.