Jewish representation in the Sejm (Lower House) was increased by one today when final returns of yesterday’s parliamentary elections showed five Jewish candidates had been successful. the successful candidates were: Dr. Emil Sommerstein, Lwow; Dr. Ignacy Schwartzbart, Krakow; Leib Minczberg, Lodz; Simon Zeideman and Jacob Trockenheim, both of Warsaw.
As expected,, the return showed that the government will control between 70 and 75 per cent of seats in the new Sejm. while the boycott ordered by the three large opposition parties in protest against the present electrical system kept the vote down, some 60 per cent of those eligible cast their sallets, compared to only 37 per cent in the, 1935 elections.
Under the present electoral set-up, introduced in 1935 by the Government of the then Premier Valery Slawek, an assembly of delegates from professional syndicates – chambers of commerce, agriculture, etc – is chosen in each constituency to draw up the list of candidates. Since these assemblies or commissions are controlled by the Government, the opposition parties had little chance of success and resorted to the boycott in retaliation.
Although no disorders were reported yesterday it was learned that 80 members of the National Democratic Party (Endeks) were arrested at Poznan on Saturday during a party rally. Police searched headquarters of the party and reportedly found a quantity of arms.
One curious feature of the situation is that ex-Premier Slawek, under whose regime the electoral reform was put through, is now in opposition to the national union camp. he ran against former justice minister Waclaw Makovsky, who is expected to become the next President of the Sejm-.
At Wilno Brig. Gen. Stanislas Skwarczynski , national union camp leader, was opposed by Gen. Lucian Zeligowski, Victor of the battle of Wilno, and the noted conservative publicist Stanislaw Mackievicz in the two districts last named the opposition ignored the boycott for tactical reasons. political circles believed that even before the new Sejm assembles Skwarczynski will be named to head a new cabinet.
The new parliament will devote itself to electoral reform, the I93S budget, and a law concerned with administrative details of the incorporation into Poland of the Celestyn (tegchen area, Poland’s share of the partition of Czechoslovakia.
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.
