France: An Island Fling

France’s former Premier Michel Debré last week rushed from humiliating obscurity back to the very center of French political life. Eased out of office by President Charles de Gaulle in 1962 and replaced by Georges Pompidou, Debré had seemed permanently relegated to the shadows last November when he ran as a candidate for the National Assembly in a supposedly safe constituency and, despite a Gaullist landslide, was soundly beaten by a local garage owner. But Debré was determined to try again, even though he had to travel 6,000 miles to French-owned Réunion Island, a tiny volcanic rock in the Indian Ocean, where a by-election offered another opportunity to run for the Assembly. The dour, fussy Debré took no chances. He flew to the capital city of St.-Denis and campaigned vigorously, holding 70 meetings in three steaming, sweaty weeks. As was confidently predicted, Debré swamped his luckless opponent 30,908 to 7,365 , partly through the Réunion tactic known as the “promenade.” in which opposition voters are sent fruitlessly from polling place to polling place, being told at each that they are not registered there. De Gaulle now views Debré with a more kindly eye than he did during his premiership a year ago; according to waggish Paris comment, Pompidou was like a mistress whom De Gaulle saw with pleasure, but who lost many of his charms when he became la légitime, that is, wife. If De Gaulle gives the expected nod, Michel Debré will take over the job of president of the Gaullist U.N.R. faction in the Assembly and employ his undeniable talents in dealing with the ineffective leadership, poor organization and internal friction that have recently plagued the party.