Constitutional Ailments

When an M.R.P. deputy rose to speak, the Communists shouted "A Rome! A Rome! (Back to Rome!)" When a Communist deputy rose to speak, the M.R.P. shouted "A Moscou! A Moscou! (Back to Moscow!)" Thus France's Assembly discussed the new draft constitution for the Fourth Republic.

Through the din of debate, three facts emerged: 1) the M.R.P. had resolved to conciliate the Communists to the limit, in order to preserve M.R.P.-Socialist-Communist coalition government; 2) the crux of the debate was the question of presidential powers; 3) behind the question of presidential powers loomed the presence of General Charles de Gaulle.

De Gaulle had emerged briefly from retirement to damn the new M.R.P. constitution as little better than the Communist-Socialist constitution which Frenchmen narrowly rejected last May. He charged that it 1) made the Cabinet subservient to the Assembly; 2) "strongly" limited the powers of the President of the Republic, giving him "no capacity to do anything in any sphere. . . ."

At week's end, it looked as though many a Frenchman was weary of coalition haggling. A new Gaullist Union Party with half a million members was mushrooming. It announced that it would fight the new constitution, put up candidates in every district in the next election. The new party reflected De Gaulle's political ideas. But De Gaulle himself was discreetly silent about his political intentions.

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