Sarah Chayes (CHASE) reports from Paris on French President Jacques Chirac's decision to call parliamentary elections 10 months earlier than planned. Chirac's government is faced with imposing austerity measures on the budget in order to join the European single currency. Analysts believe Chirac wants the vote now to keep his conservative coalition in power because there's little chance the conservatives would be elected AFTER the budget-cutting measures take effect.
Copyright 1997 NPR
