The Michigan Daily-Saturday, June 17, 1978-Page 7
Political balance shaky in Italy

RQME (AP) - Italian leaders
struggled yesterday to keep President
Giovanni Leone's sudden resignation
from turning into a full-scale political
crisis that would upset the delicate
alance between Christian democrats
and Communists.
Rome's chief prosecutor, meanwhile,
was investigating whether there are
grounds for criminal charges against
the 69-year-old Leone, who stepped
down Thursday night in the face of
allegations of tax evasion and
wrongdoings connected with the
Lockheed scandal and real estate deals.
The Italian Parliament would have to
give its permission to prosecute Leone,
since as a former president he now
becomes a senator for life and enjoys

parliamentary immunity. The in-
vestigation is based on a complaint
filed by the leftist Radical Party over
the tax accusations.
THE MAJOR parties and newspapers
generally praised the Christian
Democrat party president for stepping
down to avoid further weakening of
Italy's political structure when the
country is still recovering from the
shock of former Premier Aldo Moro's
kidnapping and murder.
Parliament is expected to meet in the
final week of June to choose a new
president.
If a, major political battle can be
avoided, it is likely that the present
minority government of Christian

Democrat Giulio Andreotti can be con-
tinued with the backing of five parties
in Parliament, including the Com-
munists, Italy's second strongest party
behind the Christian democrats. If
there is a fight over the presidency, the
five party coalition could come apart
and create a government crisis.
THE SOCIALISTS and the Social
Democrats have already made it clear
they would prefer to follow the post-war
tradition of alternating the presidency
between the dominant, Roman Catholic
church-backed Christian Democrats
and the "lay" parties.
But political observers say the
Christian Democrats, who had expec-
ted Moro to get the job, would like to
keep the largely ceremonial post for
their own party. Candidates include
party leader Benigno Zaccagnini, An-
dreotti and Senate Presient Amintore
Fanfani, who is now acting national
president.

The Communists, who gave the
decisive push for Leone's resignation,
are in a position to swing the outcome
either way. Some observers speculate
they will back the Christian Democrats
in exchange for some political con-
cessions.
THE ALLEGATIONS against Leone
were spearheaded by Camilla Cederna,
who wrote a book about the Leone
family, and the leftist magazine
L'Espresso, which oublished articles on
his financial dealings.
Although Leone's name figured as the
possible "antelope Cobbler" in the
Lockheed scandal, parliamentary in-
vestigators previously took no action
against him.
Investigators say Lockheed
documents showed that an Italian
premier code named "Antelope Cob-
bler" was involved in questionable
dealings by the American aircraft firm
in Italy between 1965 and 1969.

Rep. eould swing

ERA vote
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - "My
wife and daughter don't understand it,
but in politics you sometimes have to
forget your own convictions and go with
your party," says Illinois Rep. Frank
Giglio, feeling the pressure of a last-
ditch try to pass the Equal Rights
Amendment.
He has always opposed the measure,
but this time he is on the fence.
"I've voted against it for six years,
and now that I might be switching she
says she can't understand it," Giglio
said of his wife.
"EVEN MY daughter - who favors
the ERA - can't understand why I
might change my vote at this stage of
the game."
Why, indeed.
Last week, in a vote which ERA sup-
porters considered pivotal, the Illinois
House fell six votes short of passing the
ERA, which would outlaw
discrimination based on sex. But
proponents revived the measure and
say they now have gained five votes
toward ratification.
GIGLIO, 44, could be the sixth.
The lobbying, on both sides, is inten-
se. This is an important moment for the
ERA, with Illinois the only Northern in-
dustrial state that has not yet ratified,
and the deadline for approval nine mon-
ths away.
It has been approved by 35 states but
needs three more by March 22, 1979, to
become part of the Constitution. Of the
35, Kentucky, Tennessee, Idaho and
Nebraska have rescinded approval, but
the validity of that is in question, and
Kentucky's action was vetoed.
"THERE'S THEN a lot of lobbying,"
said Giglio, a Democrat from Calumet
City, a suburb south of Chicago. He
feels pressure from both sides, but it is
the pro-ERA side that could change s

" " "
in Illinois
vote.
When he lost a re-election bid in a
March primary, it was toa woman who
supports ERA. His consistent op-
position to the amendment had made
his seat a special target of pro-ERA
forces.
And, he added, "what's had the most
impact on me is the pressure from the
party leadership.
"THE MAYOR of Chicago says to
support it, the state chairman tells me
to support it. It (ERA ratification) is in
the Democratic Party platform. All the
representatives in my area are suppor-
ting it. Even the President of the United
States comes to town to support it.
"Everyone is getting in the picture."
Giglio said calls and letters from both
sides of the controversy have flooded
his Springfield office and his home. He
said some constituents "are angry that
I may switch. My wife runs into them at
shopping centers - just typical angry
Americans. I may just go in hiding this
weekend."
BUT THEN he adds that he won't
make up his mind until vote day, which
he said probably will be Wednesday.
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CINEMA II
presents ERIC ROHMER'S
LA COLLECTIONNEUSE
Another voyage into self-deception about motives and dimly
seen perceptions of what could be another truth, Rohmer tells
the story of an antique dealer who becomes interested in a
young woman who seems to "collect" men. Just before he
succeeds in seducing her, he cuts his vacation short to return
to his mistress. With Patrick Bouchau, Haydee Politoff and
Daniel Pommereauville. French with subtitles.
7:304,9:30 $1.50 Aud A
THURSDAY: Godard's CONTEMPT