The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1945. France Moves Left

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23322, 4 October 1945, Page 4

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1945. France Moves Left

pOLI TICAL trends in France are almost as important to Europe as they are to France. The peoples of Europe are standing at the crossroads and the way they choose to follow in the next year or so will have substantial bearing on the future political life of the Continent. Even the traditional volatility of French politics cannot minimise the importance of movement which has now become apparent. It was stated recently that there are only two forces in France to-dav: de Gaulle and the Communists. Later this month the French people will make thei? choice between the two, and if they turn to the extreme Left, then the probable political pattern of post-war Europe will be revealed.

At the end of last month elections were held for the Conseils Generaux. the county councils which control the local administrations in the various Departments. These elections were regarded as important because they were expected to provide a

pointer for the result of this month’s elections in which the people of France will elect their parliamentary representatives and decide by referendum whether the country will revert to the Constitution of 1875 or establish a single Constituent Assembly. In the departmental elections the Socialists have made large gains, and the Communists, who held 72 seats before the war, now have 362. The Socialists, who are broken into several groups, have increased their representation from 492 to 967. France, then, has turned to the Left in these elections and it seems almost certain that this trend will be exhibited again in the parliamentary elections. During the past three months there has been widespread disputing over the future of the Constitution. The more conservatively minded favour a return to the Constitution of 1875 and the methods prescribed in it for making constitutional changes. It is generally believed that this is the policy personally favoured by General de Gaulle. The Left, on the other hand, favours the idea of a national Convention, a single sovereign Constituent Assembly, elected by universal suffrage and carrying in itself full powers: executive, legislative and constituent.

Should the electors favour reversion to the 1875 Constitution, the machinery laid down in it lor changing the Constitution will automatically come intq effect. The elected representatives will become Deputies of a new Chamber. A Senate will then be elected in the ordinary manner through the Conseils Generaux. Then Senate and Chamber can come together as a National Assembly empowered to modify the Constitution. But if the electors support the idea of a single Constituent Assembly, the elected representatives will become members of this Assembly. The Assembly itself will have the responsibility of electing a head of the Government. After that, the Assembly’s power would be limited in both the executive and legislative spheres. The Government chosen by the head of the Government would be responsible to him alone. Only such legislative acts as the Budget, treaties with foreign States and structural changes in French society would need to be referred to the Constituent Assembly. It is provided that the Constituent Assembly would need to complete its work within seven months. If at the end of that time no agreement had been reached, there would be elections for a new Constituent Assembly. If agreement is reached, the new Constitution is to be submitted to a second referendum. The Provisional Government would hold office only as long as the Constituent Assembly continued its deliberations.

This somewhat complicated procedure has not been well received either by the Left or the Right. Il is believed that the Right, together with the Radical Socialists, are disappointed because General de Gaulle has not chosen straightforwardly to return to the 1875 Constitution. The Left is divided on the question, but on the whole the Socialists are ready to accept the scheme as a workable compromise. The leading Socialist nawspaper Le Populaire has said: ‘‘it is possible to take exception to some of the arrangements, but it shows as a whole a praiseworthy desire to respect the sovereignty of the people and although it uses the form of a referendum, it manages Io avoid anything that might be taken for a plebiscite or a personal vote ol confidence.” The Communists are clearly hostile to the proposal. The leading Communist newspaper Humanite has said: “The country is not able to escape from th.e weaknesses and the vices of the 1875 Constitution without accepting a Constituent Assembly whose powers will be limited to those of a Constitutional Commission, and which will be set up along with the establishment of a sort ol presidential power, with authoritarian tendencies. ’ Il goes on Io say

that there is onlv one solution acceptable to the Communists: "The sovereign Constituent Assembly from which the Government receives its authority, and before which it is responsible —that is the only solution I conforming to democratic tradition and to the principles of democracy. For this reason the Communists attack General de Gaulle for not presenting the people with three choices: the 1875 Constitution, the limited Constituent or the full-sovereign Constituent Assembly. With equal strength they attack the continuance of provisional Government as an attempt to prolong unduly the purely personal authority of General de Gaulle. It is believed, however, that General de Gaulle's apparent desire to restrict the powers of the Constituent Assembly is defeated in advance. An Assembly genuinely elected by popular vote is certain to have such prestige that the full force of its

authority will nol be checked by technical barriers. Should it wish to impose its authority on the provisional Government, it would unquestionably have the power Io do so. I'ot the peace and ■ •■'■niili of 11 ,-ince il is necessary that the people should speak with a decisive voice so that du 1 chosen form of Government will have strong majority approbation. 1 ranee has -ullcred too mil'll in lhe past through political instability.