Evening star., 1962-10-04
De- eAULLE
continued From PaKe Az

Continued From Page Al
day for the election Of a new
National Assembly. p.
i 8. A runoff vote the follow
ing week between the leading
candidates, required under
Frances multi-party system.
If the mechanics of the COM
ing showdown are simple, how
ever, the real issues involved
are anything but. The stakes
involved for the regime and for
the country go far beyond the
immediate issue. And the choice
that faces the average voter
is q vastly complicated one,
To begin with, there is the
problem of constitutional re-
form itself.
Gen. de Gaulle's explanation
Of why reform is necessary is
that the great gains toward
stable and effective govern
ment achieved by his regime
must he consolidated for the
future. Another president would
not enjoy the same enormous
prestige that the force OF
events" has conferred on Gen.
de Gaulle.
To supply this authority. a
popular mandate is necessary.
The present system of electing
the President by some 10000
"notables" should be abandoned
in favor of universal suffrage.
With this basic idea, a great
many -Frenchmen would be in
clined to agree. The argument
that under no circumstances
must the country return to the
sterile games" that character
lied the parliamentary rule of
the Fourth Republic strikes q
response in the country. ~
But here again, the real issue
involved goes far beyond simple
argument. 1t is not so much
reform itself but the manner in
which 1t is being carried out
that diSturbS thinking French
men and holds serious implica-
tions for the kind Of regime
Gen de Gaulle Is trying to
build. a.
One thing is quite certain: {:
Gen. de Gaulle is using the issue
Of constitutional reform as a
means--one might almost say
q pretext-for forcing a con-
elusive showdown between him
self and the political parties.
He could have had his amend
ment easily enough by follow
ing the formula laid down in
the constitution. Under this
formula the government sub
mits a proposed amendment
first to Parliament and then,
after 1t is approved, to the
country as a whole.
Politicians AffrOnted
BY choosing to bypass Parlia-
ment in this case, Gen. de
Gaulle not only delivered an
affront to the political parties,
which they could not ignore,
but is also quite clearly violat-
ing the constitution itself. This
at least is the judgment not
only of politicians but Of ,vir-
tually all leading French 3lr1sts,
the press, teachers associations,
trade unions and even the
constitutional council" whose
functions in this area corre-
spond roughly to our Supreme
Court.
To most OF these people. 1t
seems, furthermore, that this is
only the latest and most fla
grant of the generals abuses
and distortions of the constitu-
ton, which he himself dictated
in 1858.
Under this constitution. the
direction of the government
was intended to be left in the
hands of the prime minister.
responsible at all times to Par
lament. The role Of the presi-
dent as originally conceived was
to be that of arbiter whose ac-
tive Intervention in affairs of
state was to be limited to situa-
tions in which the national Sc
curity was gravely imperiled.
Concept Changes
The force of events" how
ever, has completely changed
this original concept. Almost
from the beginning, Gen. de
Gaulle has personally directed
every move Of the government.
It has been he. not Parliament,
who has dismissed his gov
ernments. 1t is he who has
proposed laws and bypassed
Parliament on very important
occasions by appealing directly
to the people through referen-
dunn. 4,
The result has been a type
Fof autheritarianiSIn that has
few parallels in democratic CI
republican government. Gen. de
Gaulle, who is fond Of drawing
comparisons with the British
or American form of govern
ment to support his arguments
for constitutional reform. is
under none of the restraints
these systems impose on the
use Of presidential power. -
In forcing his showdown with
Ia l. ~ 4.