FRANCE: Victor Vanquished

In 79 years, no one has ever dared challenge the Deputies of France in their one-sided warfare against Premiers. At their whim, Premiers came, and Premiers fell, but Deputies went on forever—or at least until the end of their appointed terms. No one could have been more surprised than the Deputies themselves when Premier Edgar Faure, of all people, that most artful of political dodgers, suddenly turned on them. Muttered old Robert Schuman in amazement: "The rabbits are shooting at the hunters."

The Deputies were almost gay as they assembled early last week to deal the routine death blow to the Faure government, as they had to 20 other governments since 1945. Even Faure himself was resigned to his execution. Back in his constituency he had ruefully declined comment on a constituent's praise. "It is not customary for the dead man to reply to the funeral oration," he had said wryly.

The vote came on Faure's much-battered proposal to hold elections six months early. In his nine months, Faure had kept the economy stable and thriving, got the Paris Accords through the Senate, and provided the West with a sturdy friend in the person of Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay. But Faure had lost much of his right in his concessions to Morocco, most of the left in his hesitations in making the concessions. The Communists, who had saved him twice, had now changed their minds. His only sure supporters were Pinay's conservative Independents and the Catholic M.R.P., and the result was a foregone conclusion. "At best, a third-rate funeral," shrugged one Deputy. The obsequies would be short, and the opposition forces of Pierre Mendès-France were gloating.

Traitor to Parliament. When the votes were counted, the majority against Faure was 318 to 218—six more than a constitutional majority of the 622-man Chamber. Only ten months before, Mendès had also been defeated by a constitutional majority, and the constitution provides that the Assembly can be dissolved if two successive governments are so overthrown within 18 months. But no Premier under the Fourth Republic ever has invoked this right, nor any chief executive under the Third Republic since Marshal MacMahon did it in 1877. MacMahon succeeded only in discrediting himself as an "anti-parliamentary traitor," and the device with him. Under the Fourth Republic, Deputies have always taken the precaution of "dosing" the vote so that Premiers were brought down judiciously short of constitutional majorities. But last week overconfidence made the Mendesists careless. "The more he is humbled, the better," they crowed. To scattered cries of "dissolution," they answered airily: "He wouldn't dare go that far."