A FINE RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 25700, 25 January 1946, Page 6

A FINE RECORD

FRANCE'S NEW PRESIDENT CABINET-MAKING DIFFICULTIES AHEAD PARIS, January 23. M. Felix Gouin, who has been President of the Constituent Assembly, was elected President of France in succession to General de Gaulle by 497 votes of the 555 deputies present. M. Michael Clemenceau, son of " The Tiger," received 35 votes, and M. Jacques Barboux, a Right wing Senator, received 17 votes. Additional minor candidates received three votes, and the remainder were invalid. Cheers from the Socialist and Communist deputies greeted the result of the election. The M.R.P. deputies stood "in silence as a token of their regret at the end of General de Gaulle's term. Reuter's correspondent says that the M.R.P. are at present in revolt against their leaders, who approved the Socialist and Communist programme, and plan for a distribution of Ministries leaving M. Bidault in the Foreign Office. This complicates M. Gouin's task of reconstituting the Government. He is already busy sounding out the leading politicians and endeavouring to balance the rival claims of the three parties. It is expected that M. Gouin will discard " technical " Ministers who were appointed by de Gaulle, limiting the Cabinet to 12 and filling the remaining posts of responsibility with under-secretaries. M. Gouin, who is aged 61, is a