France: All in Favor Say Aye

President Charles de Gaulle has decided that the best way to run France is by referendum, “the clearest, frankest, most democratic practice there is. It is becoming a French custom.” It also had the advantage that the President could determine the need, the timing, and the phrasing of any plebiscite.

This week the people of France went to the polls to vote on two linked questions: i) approval of De Gaulle’s peace agreement with the Algerian F.L.N., and 2) empowering De Gaulle to take all “necessary” measures relating to Algeria.

Each voter was issued pieces of paper already stamped “yes” and “no” for easy deposit in the nearest ballot box. Conservatives, most Socialists—even the Communists—all urged yes. Only the extreme supporters of Algėrie Franqaise demanded a no.

In a confident nationwide broadcast on the eve of the referendum, De Gaulle made the choice all the simpler by suggesting that each yes vote would be a personal endorsement for “Le Grand Charles.”