Red Reverse

Italy's Communists take comfort at election time, for over the past two decades they have piled up new suc cesses almost every time the nation has gone to the polls. In 1963's national election, for example, the Reds picked up 1,000,000 additional votes -- which led them to feel that they had every reason to expect heightened success in last week's 171 municipal and provin cial elections. As it happened, the Com munists were due for a disappointment.

In eight major cities, the Reds' total vote dropped 1.6%. In 93 smaller communities, their share of the vote declined 7% . In Rome itself, where they hoped to win a plurality, the party lost ground for the first time since 1948. The chief beneficiary of the losses (and of similar defections from the right wing): Premier Aldo Moro's Chris tian Democrats.

The setback came as a stunning blow to the Reds. Moro's men were quick to boast that the outcome proved the worth of the Centra Sinistra, the ruling center-left coalition created largely for the purpose of isolating the Commu nists. It also reflected the absence of an effective successor to the late Communist Party boss Palmiro Togliatti, Italy's growing affluence, and the increasing moderation of Italian voters.

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