France Ready To Vote On New Constitution

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 9

France Ready To Vote On New Constitution

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) PARIS, September 24. Huge posters in blue, white and red, with the blue and red colours forming a V sign and the word “Oui,” are now displayed in their hundreds of thousands on the walls of towns and villages throughout France as part of the Government’s campaign calling for approval of the de Gaulle Constitution.' Small bills on which is just printed “Oui” are stuck up everywhere, including bus stops. Often they are covering the word “Non” on Communist and fellow-traveller posters. Almost every newspaper in France is daily publishing leading articles on the subject. One evening newspaper has offered a prize of £BOO for the reader who forecasts the correct proportion of “yeses” to “noes” to the nearest three decimal points. According to the latest reports from Prefects in the 90 French departments the “Yes” votes will amount to 67 per cent, of those voting.

At the last General Elections in 1956 the total electorate in Metropolitan France was 26,772,255 and the number of people who voted was 22,138,046. This time the electorate will be somewhat larger. The official figure has not yet been announced.

Some observers believe that as many as a million people who usually vote for the Communists may vote "Yes,” on Sunday, and that the total “Yes” vote may well amount to more than 70 per cent. The total Communist vote in 1956 was 5,454,589.