Results of the elections to the French parliament

In spite of the fiercely heated agitation, in spite of the enormous sums thrown into the election work by the leaders of the "National Bloc" (the French industrialists' leader, Senator Villiers alone, had a whole capital of 60 million francs at his disposal!..), in spite of all the advantages of the governing party, which for the time being is still in charge and had a huge apparatus of officials at its disposal — in spite of all this, the government parties failed in the French elections, and the opposition won…

However much the "national" posters frightened the voters into not voting for the "Germanophiles", who by their leniency towards the Germans supposedly want to bring about a new war, the people understood from which side the threat of a new war was actually coming, and gave their votes to the opposition…

According to the data received so far, the "National Bloc" has won 229 seats in the Chamber, the "Left Bloc" 297…

There are as yet no results of the voting in the colonies and in one of the northern departments. But one may be sure that there will be no great change in the figures.

As a result of such a defeat, the cabinet of M. Poincaré decided on 13 May to resign, waiting only until 1 June, when the new Chamber is to assemble.

Who, then, will be Poincaré's successor?

The French press names 2 candidates. The first of them is Briand, Poincaré's predecessor. It was this Briand whom Poincaré himself, together with the President of the Republic, Millerand, overthrew at the end of 1921 (during the Cannes Conference), because he had supposedly been too yielding to the British Prime Minister Lloyd George and too gentle towards the Germans…

And now this very Briand may return to power — after 3 years of Poincaré's rule, which has brought French policy to complete discredit…

But the point is that now even for Briand the circumstances are unfavourable, for his former English partner too has long been out of office, having given way to the socialist MacDonald… Sensing this, Briand himself already declared during the election campaign that he would not seek the premiership…

And so a second figure comes forward, a much more striking personality, known for his more radical sympathies, one of the first political figures of France who quite clearly set himself the aim and understood the need of an understanding with present-day Russia, and was the first to "risk" going there in person… This is the deputy for Lille, M. Herriot.

It is understandable that precisely such a political figure will find it easiest and simplest to come to terms with the English premier, who, as we see, for all his modesty and mildness, has begun to play a decisive role in European politics, having to a considerable extent knocked down Poincaré himself…

We must not forget, either, that the French Communists received 32 seats, which, with a general majority of the Left Bloc, gives this group a very important, at times decisive, role in the Chamber…

Here is one more reason why Briand has yielded his place to the ardent "Russophile" Herriot…

What can be expected from this new alignment of forces in Europe, when the two greatest powers will not be at "war", as during these 3 years, but in an understanding, and moreover an understanding on a sincerely peaceful programme, tinged in some socialist way, perhaps not quite sincerely, but tinged nonetheless? We shall speak of that next time.

But one thing is already quite clear: that principal reinforced-concrete pillar on which European reaction was based, in the person of M. Poincaré, will be no more…

And however little we believe in the state "wisdom" that rules over us, this fact — the complete collapse of the strongest external support of this our internal "unwisdom" — must have an effect, perhaps even a very decisive one, on our life too, and in part on Belarusian life…

So let us have a firm faith that time, the course of history and the reason of events are on our side, and against our "lords".