POLLING SCENES, DE GAULLE VOTING, POMPIDOU VOTING, MITTERAND VOTING, MENDES FRANCE VOTING, STUDENTS' POLLING PLACE, STUDENTS VOTING, BOXES EMPTIED, COUNTING.




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Background: COMPUTER FORECASTS IN FRANCE WERE TONIGHT (SUNDAY) GIVING THE GAULLISTS 44 TO 46 PER CENT OF THE POLL IN THE GENERAL ELECTION WITH RESULTS DECLARED IN 141 OF THE 487 CONSTITUENCIES, THE GAULLISTS HELD 135 SEATS, MORE THAN HALF THE NUMBER NEEDED FOR AN OVERALL MAJORITY IN THE NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, AND SEEMED ASSURED OF A COMFORTABLE FIRST-ROUND WIN.

THE FRENCH VOTERS TURNED OUT IN LARGE NUMBERS TODAY (SUNDAY) DESPITE HEAVY MORNING RAINS, TO BOLSTER PREDICTIONS THAT THE GAULLISTS WOULD INCREASE THEIR REPRESENTATION IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. BY NOON, ALMOST ONE THIRD OF THE 28 MILLION ELECTORATE HAD VOTED, ACCORDING TO THE INTERIOR MINISTRY. IN PARIS, THE MINISTRY SAID THE VOTING FIGURE WAS BETWEEN 30 AND 45 PER CENT.

THE CALM ATMOSPHERE OF THE VOTING GAVE NO INDICATION OF THE VIOLENT STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS WHICH ROCKED PRESIDENT DE GAULLE'S GOVERNMENT AND FORCED THE ELECTIONS.....THE SECOND IN TWO YEARS. THOUGH POLICE PROVIDED A GUARD FOR ALL POLLING STATIONS, THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS REPORTED DURING THE DAY.

ON THE STROKE OF NOON, PRESIDENT AND MADAME DE GAULLE ARRIVED AT THE POLLING PLACE NEAR THEIR COUNTRY RESIDENCE OF COLOMBEY DE DEUX EGLISES.

PRIME MINISTERS GEORGES POMPIDOU WAS ALSO AMONG THE EARLY VOTERS. HE WAS ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT MINISTERS TO WIN A DECISIVE FIRST-ROUND VICTORY.

M. FRANCOIS MITTERAND, THE LEADER OF THE LEFT-WING FEDERATION, THE BIGGEST OPPOSITION GROUPING, BECAME AN EARLY CASUALTY IN THE ELECTION AND WAS FORCED INTO A RUN-OFF BALLOT NEXT SUNDAY, WHEN HE FAILED TO GET AN OVERALL MAJORITY.

THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER, PIERRE MENDES-FRANCE, REPRESENTING THE SPLINTER P.S.U. SOCIALIST PARTY, WAS ALSO FORCED INTO A RUN-OFF BALLOT. HE WON FEWER VOTES THAN THE GAULLIST CHALLENGER IN GRENOBLE, FORMER SOCIAL AFFAIRS MINISTER, JEAN-MARCEL JEANNENEY.

IN THE LATIN QUARTER, WHILE THE ADULT ELECTORS WENT TO THE POLLS, STUDENTS HELD AN ELECTION OF THEIR OWN. CLAIMING THAT, IF THEY CAN BE THROWN INTO GAOL OR CONSCRIPTED AT THE AGE OF 18, THEY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE, THE STUDENTS CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN A REPLICA OF THE GENERAL ELECTION. NO FIGURES WERE AVAILABLE TONIGHT (SUNDAY) TO SHOW HOW THE STUDENTS VOTED.

WHEN THE POLLING STATIONS WERE CLOSED AND COUNTING BEGAN, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE GAULLISTS WOULD SCORE HEAVILY IN THE FIRST ROUND. HARD BARGAINING IS EXPECTED TO PRECEDE THE SECOND ROUND AND SOME PARIS NEWSPAPERS HAVE CALLED ON THE GAULLISTS TO WITHDRAW IN FAVOUR OF BETTER-PLACED CENTRISTS KEEP OUT THE COMMUNISTS AND THEIR ALLIES.