South Viet Nam: Second Term

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In Buddhist temples, schools and village centers, the voters of South Viet Nam gathered last week, the women wearing their best tunics and diaphanous silk trousers. There was scattered gunfire as Communist guerrillas raided a polling place here and there. But when the returns were in, 75% of the electorate had defied Communist threats to kill anyone who voted, gave embattled President Ngo Dinh Diem a massive vote of confidence and another five-year term in office. Running against two unknowns, Diem piled up 88% of the vote.

In Saigon, Diem's total dropped to 65%, and 26% of the electorate joined the Communist boycott and stayed home. This reflected, among other things, the capital's widespread discontent among business and professional classes at the dictatorial methods Diem feels obliged to employ in his six-year-old fight against the Communist rebellion. But the very size of the opposition vote was evidence that the much abused Diem had run a reasonably honest election—and won.