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external Rage 140 af1488e any particular systlagedehess None of the other three Foreign Ministers supported me in my opposition to a system of proportional representation, but it was agreed that the final decision on the matter should rest with the Germans.

4.

At the present time the attitude of the French is that they would favour proportional representation and certainly would not be prepared to impose a majority system upon the Germans. The Americans are strongly of opinion that the whole matter must be left to the Germans to decide, and in any case they are in favour of proportional representation.

5.

Among the Germans the issue is a matter of hot political controversy. The Social Democrats are in favour of proportional representation, though a minority of them, particularly those who have experienced the electoral system which has been in force in the British Zone for the last two years, realise the advantages of a majority system with single member constituencies. The main reason why the Social Democrats favour proportional representation is that they fear that under the majority system they would lose the forthcoming elections in Germany to the Christian Democrats. The Christian Democrats on the other hand are entirely in favour of the majority system, largely for electoral reasons.

6.

The draft electoral law which the Parliamentary Council has produced provides for a Lower House of 410 members, of whom 205 will be elected from individual electoral districts by majority vote and 205 will be chosen from Land lists on the basis of proportional representation based on the total valid vote cast in the whole trizonal area. The result will therefore be a largely proportional representation system. This electoral law appears to me unsatisfactory for the following reasons. The first is that the party machine is given a dominant role as a result of proportional representation and has power to draw up party lists, with the result that there is no direct contact between the individual voter and his candidate. This is because it is the party machine, and not the voters, which decides the candidates and their order of preference on the lists. The second objection is that there is no safeguard against splinter parties. The law is also open to objection because the constituencies for which it provides are too large.

7.

This draft electoral law is a retrograde step, and it is weaker in the protection which it affords against splinter parties than the Weimar Constitution, which was itself largely wrecked by splinter parties. If this law were adopted for the whole of the trizonal area, there would be little likelihood of evolving a two or three party system in Germany.

8.

I have had an exchange of telegrams with General Robertson on the draft electoral law. He agrees with my view that it is unsatisfactory for the reasons given above, but he points out that we are not in a position to impose any particular system on the Germans, especially in view of the attitude of the Americans and the French. General Robertson also makes the important point that this draft is not intended to be a permanent electoral law for the German Federal State, but only the law for the election of the first Volkstag. He further points out that the reason why the Social Democratic Party have supported it is that to which I have referred above and that if a system of simple majority were adopted, the Christian Democrats might obtain such a majority that they could take action in certain fields, for instance the staffing of the Civil Service, which would have serious effects for the future of Germany. It is desirable Page 140 of 48 government establis laghofthe8araft

oftest electoral law should be a coalition government, and the best

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