FRANCE: Communists to the Rescue

For a month now, Premier Edgar Faure and the French Assembly have been playing out a French farce known as the vote of confidence. Though the Assembly does not like Faure, it is not yet prepared to replace him, and so the technique is to give him the vote without giving him any reason for confidence.

For the second time in ten days, Premier Faure last week risked the life of his government on a vote of confidence over the issue of new Assembly elections in December. His principal opponent was his predecessor, party leader and onetime friend, Pierre Mendès-France. Faure's objective, with the help of the Assembly's right wing, was to force elections before

Mendès had a chance to organize a coalition of the Left. Mendès' strategy was to seek modifications of France's complex electoral law, hoping to stall elections until spring and eventually go to the voters under a system favorable to his own candidates.

When the votes were counted, the wan and weary Faure had squeezed by again, 285 to 247. But most of his own Radical Party and almost all the Socialists voted against him. He had the Communists to thank for his victory: their 90 votes had been cast for Faure. But even the Communists left Faure no illusions about the nature of their support. Said Communist Leader Jacques Duclos contemptuously: "Everyone knows that in voting for this [election] project, the Communist group has no intention of voting for the government."

Before the balloting, Faure had told a Cabinet meeting that he had no desire to continue in office with Communist support. He had not been defeated, and therefore was not obliged to resign. Edgar Faure, whose thirst for the premiership is all but unquenchable, decided to stay on the job, even though the Communists had given him his margin of survival.