- Title: FRANCE: VICTORIOUS POMPIDOU AND DEFEATED POHER MAKE ELECTION - NIGHT STATEMENTS
- Date: 16th June 1969
- Summary: 1. GV POMPIDOU SUPPORTERS CELEBRATING ALONG CHAMPS ELYSSES (6 SHOTS) 0.38 2. CU ZOOM TO SLV..POMPIDOU SOF STARTS: (25FT) "LE SCRUTIN D'AUJOURDHUI..." SOF END: "..VIVE LA FRANCE." APPLAUSE CONTINUED TO.... 1.42 3. CU M. POHER SOF STARTS: "J'ADRESSE MES FELICITATIONS.." SOF ENDS: "...VIVE LA FRANCE." 2.28 TRANSCRIPT: POMPIDOU: "TODAY'S POLL SEEMS
- Embargoed: 1st July 1969 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA6629U31YCXGZZCYQIQVQBPHPZ
- Story Text: GAULLIST CANDIDATE M. GEORGES POMPIDOU, THE 57-YEAR-OLD BANKER AND FORMER PRIME MINISTER, WAS YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) ELECTED PRESIDENT OF FRANCE. IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE ELECTIONS HE DEFEATED CENTRIST CANDIDATE ALAIN POHER, THE INTERIM PRESIDENT SINCE GENERAL DE GAULLE'S RESIGNATION, BY A 15% MARGIN OF VOTES. AS THE RESULTS WERE KNOWN LAST NIGHT, M. POMPIDOU MADE A VICTORY SPEECH IN WHICH HE PAID HOMMAGE TO THE GENERAL; AND M. POHER CONCEDED DEFEAT AND READ TO THE PRESS THE TELEGRAM HE HAD SENT TO THE NEW PRESIDENT.
M. POMPIDOU, WHO IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT ECONOMIC BRAINS IN FRANCE, HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS 25 YEARS OF POLITICAL LIFE IN THE SHADOW OF GENERAL DE GAULLE, SERVING HIM IN A NUMBER OF PRIVATE POSITIONS BEFORE BECOMING PRIME MINISTER IN 1962 -- AND TAKING OFFICE WITHOUT EVER HAVING BEEN EITHER A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OR EVEN OF THE OFFICIAL GAULLIST PARTY. NOR HAD HE EVER SERVED ON A LOCAL OR MUNICIPAL COUNCIL. HE SERVED AS PREMIER FOR SIX YEARS AND THREE MONTHS -- LONGER THAN ANY POST-WAR HEAD OF GOVERNMENT IN FRANCE. AFTER SEEING FRANCE AND GENERAL DE GAULLE THROUGH THE STUDENT AND LABOUR UNREST OF MAY LAST YEAR AND BY THE ELECTIONS OF JUNE, TO THE SURPRISE OF MOST PEOPLE, HE WAS PASSED-OVER BY THE GENERAL IN HIS NEW GOVERNMENT AND M. MAURICE COUVE DE MURVILLE WAS NAMED PRIME MINISTER. HOWEVER MANY OBSERVERS FELT THAT THE GENERAL LEFT OPEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT M. POMPIDOU MIGHT ONE DAY BE THE CANDIDATE TO THE PRESIDENCY WITH THE SUPPORT OF GAULLISM -- IN A LETTER TO HIS OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER, GENERAL DE GAULLE WROTE: "YOU WILL HOLD YOURSELF READY TO ACCOMPLISH ANY MISSION AND ASSUME ANY MANDATE WHICH ONE DAY THE NATION MIGHT ENTRUST TO YOU," YESTERDAY, GAULLISM AND THE NATION ENTRUSTED HIM WITH THE PRESIDENCY OF FRANCE FOR SEVEN YEARS.
IN HIS VICTORY SPEECH LAST NIGHT, M. POMPIDOU SAID:
IN A PRESS CONFERENCE AT HIS CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS, DEFEATED CANDIDATE ALAIN POHER CONCEDED THE ELECTION AND THEN READ THE TELEGRAM HE HAD SENT EARLIER TO M. POMPIDOU.
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