Evening star., 1946-11-10
Leh-Wing Issues Dominating
French, Italian Votes Today ;,
Fourth Republic and
Colonies to Pick
First Legislature
BY the AsxociatAd RIssx

PARIS, Nov. 9.--FTance and hel
colonies will vote tomorrow fol
deputies of the first legislature o1
the Fourth Republic in an election
primarily battle between the
Communist and Popular Republican
(MRP) parties. Each has promised
to exclude the other from the new
cabinet If it gains sufficient support
Despite the MRP's bid for votes
from the followers of Gen. Charles
de Gaulle and its pledge to give
France a centriSt government
French political experts said the
balloting is not likely to. change
the present political balance OF
power, held Jointly by the Com
munists, MRP and Socialists, and
that the new government is likely
to continue to be a coalition.
In choosing 6l8 deputies from
among 5000 candidates for FIVE
year terms in the National AS
sembly, the people probably will
concentrate rs per cent of theil
vote on those three major parties
which have jointly governed the
country for the last two years, the
experts said.
Policy Change Unlikely.
Thus, it is unlikely that any i'm
portant change in French foreign
policy or in the domestic program
will result from the trek of 90
100000 voters to the polls in Nor
mandy's war-ravaged Villages, OF
Paris boulevards, in still tense
Indo-China and in palm shaded
Tahiti.
Snow fell in Paris on the eve OF
the election and if the weather turns
bad throughout the provinces it may
cut the size of the vote.
President-Premier Georges BIZ
dault's MRP party, the powerful
Communists and Leon Blum's So
cialist party will De the big win
ners as in the last two general elec-
tions, Interior Ministry experts and
oI1lCA oboSA FSlS oSi CCd
But interest will focus primarily
on the gains or losses registered by
the Communists and the. MRP, rep
resenting in Western Elrope's larg-
est democracy the opposing inter-
ests of the east and west which have
coIored postwar international poll
tics. gYg.
Gen. de Gaulle, save for a state
ment urging support of parties
pledged to a revision of the consti-
tuition which created the Fourth
Republic. has remained aloof from
the political clashes. The MRP has
said it will support him for the
Presidency if he decides to seek the
Office.
New Elections December 8.
Gen. de Gaulle's statement was in
terpreted as giving at least partial
support to the MRP, which also has
the tacit backing of many Catholics.
Unofficial negotiations among the
parties on the formula for new
cabinet will begin Immediately after
the election results are known, but
the government will not be formed
until the middle of January for the
National Assembly is but the first
house of Parliament. Elections will
be neld December for the second
house, the Council of the Republic.
If, as expected, none of the three
major parties has a single-handed
majority in the legislature, most
observers agree that another three
party coalition government is the
only workable formula that can be
evolved. The only question is which
party will head it.
Even If there is a clear-cut ma jor-
ity for the MRP, the Communists
may have to be given some say in
the government, because with their
control over labor they could par
alyze the country with strikes, OBJ
servers said.
President to Be Picked.
After election of the second house
the government will still be far from
formed. The two houses must meet
Jointly to elect president, who in
turn will nominate premier. The
National Assembly's Endorsement OF
a premier is necessary before he can
form his cabinet.
Neither Gen. de Gaulle nor Mr.
Blum are candidates in the cleo
ton. but other names, long familiar
in French politics, will be on the
lists. These include Mr.. Bidault
Radical Socialist leader Eduard
Herriot, Socialist Vincent Auriol
who was president of the last in
terim legislature, and Rightist Paul
Reynaud.
The electror has no choice but to
vote straight ticket. He is handed
lists of each party's candidates when
he enters the polls and in the vot-
ing booth picks the list he wants
and drops it into the ballot box.
What will 1856 be like for you?