French Communists ponder poll strategy

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 8

French Communists ponder poll strategy

NZPA-Reuter Paris The French Communist Party's Central Committee will decide today the price it will demand from the Socialist leader, Francois Mitterrand, in exchange for backing him in the final round of the presidential election. If, as widely expected, it demands Cabinet seats in any future Left-wing Government, the main argument of Mr Mitterrand’s opponents in the next two weeks will be that a Socialist Government would be hostage to the Communists. The Communists, who traditionally poll between a fifth and a quarter of the votes in French elections, suffered a humiliating setback on Sunday when their secretary-general, Georges Marchais, won only 15.5 per cent in the first round of the poll. President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who won 28.3 per cent, and Mr Mitterrand, with 25.8 per cent, will con-

s test the run-off on May 10 after eliminating Mr Mar- ; chais, the Gaullist Jacques : Chirac, and six minor candi- ; dates. Mr Chirac has already - said that he will support Mr • Giscard in the run-off. Mr Mitterrand’s dilemma f is that he cannot win without votes from first-round Comt munist voters, but too close i an alliance with the Com- - munists could scare away f moderates whose support he i also needs. ■ The Communist Party has ; been accused of torpedoing a ' possible Left-wing success in the 1978 General Election by ’ demanding too much from [ the Socialists. Mr Giscard has already ’ begun hammering at this . weak point of the Left wing, . asking a rally yesterday in • Dijon, “Why doesn’t Mr Mit- , terrand honestly answer what he thinks about Mr' I Marchais’ demands for Com- .. munist ministers? , “The reasons is that Mr Mitterrand also wants anti-

Communist votes from the Centre ... He wants Communist votes and anti-Com-munist votes at the same time and is seeking an impossible alliance of fire and water,” the President said. Poll specialists said that in the 1974 election up to one fifth of Gaullist voters In the first round did not support Mr Giscard in the riin-off, preferring to abstain or vote for the left. Yesterday the specialists were still arguing over an explanation for the Communists’ poor showing on Sunday. Mr Marchais and his aides say many traditional Communist voters, knowing Mr Marchais could not reach the run-off. voted for Mr Mitterrand for fear that he could be beaten by Mr Chirac. But analysts also gave recent Communist action against migrant workers, attacks on the Socialists, and over-eager support for Moscow in the Afghanistan conflict as possible explanations.