Monsieur 62 %

Charles de Gaulle won out over the combined forces of the nation's old-line political parties, practically every newspaper in France, and the bitterly hostile labor unions and farmers' associations. But it was his narrowest victory yet.

He had threatened to quit unless France voted "massive" approval of his plan that future French Presidents be elected by all the people, not just by 80,000 local officials. As the results of the referendum began appearing on TV, interspersed with performances by singers, dancers, even a blonde stripper, it became clear that the nation's approval was not exactly massive. De Gaulle got 62% of the 21 million votes cast, and journalists promptly dubbed him "Monsieur 62%." But more than 6,000,000 Frenchmen abstained, so that he gained only 46% of the total electorate. Many voters failed to vote partly because they were bored with referendums (it was the fourth since 1958), partly because they assumed De Gaulle would win anyway, hence that it was safe to spend the sunny weekend away from the polls.

Echoed View. De Gaulle took an extra day at his country home in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises to study the returns. "It's fine here," he told an aide. "If we have to stay at Colombey, the life will be very pleasant." Next day, De Gaulle flew to Paris to tell his Cabinet that France's mandate was strong enough for him to accept. Obviously echoing De Gaulle's view, Premier Georges Pompidou explained that to get the true results, one must subtract from the no votes "the 27% or 28%" that represent the Communists and the extreme rightists, who are antidemocratic as well as anti-Gaullist. Thus, suggested Pompidou, the opposition party leaders were able to poll only about 10% of the vote--an insignificant amount next to the 62% voting yes. Information Minister Christian Fouchet added that, after all, Kennedy had defeated Nixon only "by some small percentage point."

Such reasoning is not likely to bring victory to the Gaullists in the elections for the new National Assembly scheduled in two stages for Nov. 18 and 25. Hoping to provide more telling arguments, Culture Minister Andre Malraux last week invited 25,000 prominent Gaullists to a rally at the Palais de Chaillot for his newly formed Association for the Fifth Republic. In a brilliant and scathing attack on the old party system, Malraux charged that opposition leaders had not been able to unite to bring peace in Algeria, to confront the revolt of French generals, or to further Franco-German reconciliation. Sarcastically he added, "But they did unite before the terrifying menace" of the referendum.

Malraux ridiculed those who attacked De Gaulle as a potential dictator, reminding France that if De Gaulle had wanted a one-party tyranny he could have had it on returning to power in the crisis year of 1958. Instead, he gave France a new constitution and a strong government. In a final tribute to De Gaulle, Malraux said. "History will say of him when we are dead, 'Since his return, this man twice stopped civil war with his bare hands.' "

Risked Prestige. Whether he can win the election with his bare hands, or even wants to, is another question. Most observers in Paris believe the Gaullist U.N.R.. which had 176 Deputies in the old Assembly, will lose as many as 80 seats. If the Assembly elections turn out badly, De Gaulle may quit. More probably, he would assume emergency powers or else resign and be re-elected President by the entire nation under the new constitutional provision. In either case, he would rule without the Assembly.

The outcome may well be decided by how much of his prestige De Gaulle wants to risk in backing Gaullist candidates in the election campaign. Habitually indifferent to parliamentary politics, he may well consider it not worth the effort.

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