De Gaulle's Decline

Best barometer readings on France's political climate are the municipal elections, in which several hundred thousand small-time politicians run for office. This week, in the first round of the 1953 elections, General Charles de Gaulle's Rally of the French People lost the most ground. His party lost 15 out of its 26 seats in the Paris municipal council, 21 out of 25 in Marseilles. Principal gainers were the independent parties ranging themselves behind ex-Premier Antoine Pinay, whose right-wing, inflation-fighting regime won tremendous popular prestige before its downfall in December. The French Communist Party held its impressive majority in working-class districts, but lost some support in rural constituencies.

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