FRENCH ASSEMBLY

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1945, Page 5

FRENCH ASSEMBLY

CHOOSING NEW CABINET * COALITION PROSPECTS PARIS, October 23. The newly-elected French Assembly will meet on November 6. Its first task will be to appoint the head of the new Provisional Government, who is almost certain to be General de Gaulle. It is expected that a Cabinet will be chosen from members of the three main parties, the Communist Party, the Popular Republican Movement (Progressive Catholics), and the Socialist Party. Tne Progressive Catholics went to the polls with a promise to vote with the Socialists on all matters except religion. These two groups have much in common, and together they would command a majority in the Assembly. A new constitution for the Fourth Republic will be drafted. On its completion the constitution will be put before the country for approval. “The sweeping electoral gams of the three major parties, all more or less equal in strength and totalling more than a quarter of the Assembly, are the President’s big problem, says the Paris correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” ‘As against, thu old Right Wing parties, all three were, during the last few weeks, virtually in a coalition. They were, in fact, "equally united against the now badly-routed Radical Socialists. A three-party coalition, or even revival of a Socialist-Communist popular front, is at least doubtful. On the other hand the Socialists and the Popular Republican Movement, though not always in political haimony, are on friendly terms. A twopartv agreement, if it were formed, would give them a small but permanent majority in the new House. M. Schumann, one of the leaders of the Popular Republican Movement, said that his party’s policy would not be decided until after the executive had Correspondents point out that the election showed two things—inai France wants new men and new institutions, and that it continues to support General de Gaulle. All except one Minister in General de Gaulle’s Cabinet were elected. The Minister of Transport (M. Rene Mayer) was the single failure. 1 After twice declaring M. Edouatd Daladier to have been elected for Avignon, the electoral authorities have now officially announced that he has been defeated. M. Daladier was Prime Minister at the outbreak ° f ln a the Vaucluse department, M. Herriot, a former Prime Minister and leader of the Radical Socialist Paity, was elected. He was seventh oni the list of eight successful candidates.

effects reviewed breaking with the past (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.) CRpcd 925 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 23. R The result of the French elections is regarded here as a personal triumph for General de Gaulle since he received overwhelming support ioi his appeal for a single-chamber constituent assembly to draft a new constitution and his proposals that the new Assembly’s powers should be de fined in advance, and so to some extent be limited. The strength o various parties is such that de Gaulle is assured of election as head of the Government, and that on November 6 when he formally returns; his.powers to the representatives of the peo pie at the Palais Bourbon, will be asked to take up anew the high trust he assumed in 1940. The life of the new Assembly which will meet on November 6 will be limited to seven months while the new constitution is being drafted, so that Fraac ® t W gJ go to the polls again in about 8 Z m j?ext,' after the vote of confidence in de Gaulle, the election is seen as expressing the clearest wish for a break with the past. This explains the de feat of the Radical Socialists, who stood for maintaining the constitution ° f The third outstanding regarded as the success of Bidault s party, the movement Republican j?opulaire (Popular Republican Movement) which was horn only a vear ago. Described as a new and unusual party, it is largely Ca}hohc,.deriving its inspiration from the Resis tance. It champions major social and economic changes. Many women who voted for the first time rallied to it, in addition to the Conservatives and members of the Right, who realised the futility of their own traditional parties. Founded last Winter, the party began as an offshoot of a resistance organisation, known as the FL. publican Liberation Movement. The success ol the M.R.P. was a surprise. It had been violently

ATTACKED BY COMMUNISTS who alleged its official programme is a hypocritical facade covering clerical reaction and ill-disguised Petamism with de Gaulle. , „ In the failure to bring off a sweeping swing to the left for which the Communists worked and expected, and although they are the first party in the State, their failure is regarded as marked. The reason is said to be that rightly or wrongly they remain under suspicion of being a foreign rathei than a French party, to which France in the-present mood is unlikely to grant lU The°Socialists arc regarded as having held their own and will continue to attract middle-class support though not in sufficient numbers to off set the loss of the working-class votes to the Communists. Nevertheless, the Socialists are regarded as holding a lv a y position in the Assembly and being marked out for a cardinal part in the future of France. All three parties have as common ground, an official programme for nationalisation of the principal industries and credit institutions which i> on a parallel to .the British Labour Party’s policy. It is the fust time that almost the whole French Parliament is split into roughly three equal parties and it is recognised as a hopeful evolution that France seems at last to be moving towards two-party or three-party system, which will give stability and substance to whatever Parliamentary regime is devised when the new members begin drafting the constitution of the Fourth Republic. Thirty women have been recalled — sixteen Communists, seven M.R.P., five Socialists and two Rightists. ANGLO-FRENCH TAXATION. LONDON, October 21. Britain and France signed an agreement in Paris on Friday containing provisions relating to double taxation of United Kingdom companies. If operating a French subsidiary a British company will be liable only to French taxation on the profits of the branch. The provisions of the agreement are being made retrospective to 1931. The French Government has agreed to give up certain arrears of dividend tax due from United Kingdom companies for the years before 1931.