PARTY POLITICS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 268, 13 November 1945, Page 5

PARTY POLITICS

RETURNING IN FRANCE LEFT WING AND DE GAULLE London, Nov. 11. The Fourth French Republic appears, at least in its first days, to be repealing one of the fundamental errors of the Third Republic —allowing party manoeuvres to hold up the creation of a new Government, says the "Daily Telegraph’s" Paris correspondent. Instead of electing a head of the Government to-day, as arranged under the law approved by the referendum, the Assembly decided by 353 votes to 53 to postpone lhe decision until Tuesday. The Communists abstained from voting. Their spokesman, M. Ducios, pointed out that the party opposed the law necessitating the immediate election of the new head of the Government. It therelore disclaimed responsibility for the difficulties which were now apparent. The Socialists and Popular Republicans carried postponement against strong opposition from the Conservatives and Radical Socialists. The argument was “programme first" befor» electing General de Gaulle, the Lett Wing partigs, including the Popular Republicans, wish to present him with a general outline of policy. The new President of the Assembly, M. Gouin, in his first speech, warned against reverting to party politics. “It Would not be any use to have reconquered freedom and rebuilt democracy if we drew no lessons from this terrible experience through which we have just passed," he said.