De Gaulle Names New Premier

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29799, 16 April 1962, Page 13

De Gaulle Names New Premier

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) PARIS, April 15. President de Gaulle yesterday accepted the resignation of Mr Michel Debre as Premier and quickly named Mr Georges Pompidou, a banker with no previous political experience, to succeed him. The resignation of Mr Debre and other members of his Government had been rumoured for more than a month and Mr Pompidou had always been considered as the leading candidate for the job, the Associated Press reported.

Mr Debre stopped aside after three years and three months at the head of the Cabinet. In his letter of resignation, he declared that his term in office had been dominated by the Algerian probleiiy Now that a cease-fire had been signed with the Algerian nationalist rebels, and the nation had approved the solution. Mr Debre said, he felt it was time to leave. Mr Pompidou seemed to be running into minor difficulties in his effort to add some political colouring to the Cabinet, the news agency said.

Mr Debre depended largely on members of his own Gaullist New Republic Union Party and veterans of the French civil service for his Ministers. Mr Pompidou would like to bring in more political veterans, and has offered ministries to two former Premiers. Mr Pierre Pflimlin and Mr Edgar Faure Mr Pflimlin. a member of the Catholic Popular Republican Movement (M.R.P.) was reported to have been proposed for the Ministry of

Justice. Some members of the M.R.P. executive committee and Parliamentary delegation said, however, that they did not want the Justice Ministry for their party.

Another M.R.P. Deputy, Mr Maurice Schumann, has been suggested for the Ministry of Information and this offer also provoked some protests. Mr Edgar Faure was reported to be personally willing to take the Ministry of Education. The middle-of-the road Radical-Socialist Party, which has remained in the opposition during Mr Debre's term, was not anxious to join the Government ranks. Mr Faure is a Radi-cal-Socialist.

After Mr Pompidou’s preliminary soundings, it appeared that Mr Maurice Couve de Murville would remain as Foreign Minister and Mr Louis Joxe as Minister for Algerian Affairs.