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This is an archive article published on May 30, 2005

France’s vote on EU may go against Chirac

The French flocked to the polls on Sunday to vote on the European Union’s first constitution, with final opinion polls pointing to a &#...

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The French flocked to the polls on Sunday to vote on the European Union’s first constitution, with final opinion polls pointing to a ‘‘No’’ that could kill a charter intended to ensure smooth running of the enlarged bloc.

With three hours to go before the last polling stations close, 66.24 pc of registered voters had already cast their vote, the Interior Ministry said.

That was nearly 10 pc up on the turnout at the same time of the day during the 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty on closer EU integration, in which 69.69 pc of voters cast ballot.

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Analysts are split on which camp could benefit from a highturnout. The last surveys put the ‘‘No’’ camp ahead, with up to 56 pc expected to vote down the treaty at the end of a heated campaign that divided France and became a debate on the government’s economic record as well as the future of Europe.

A beaming President Jacques Chirac, wearing a grey suit, shook hands with voters before casting his ballot with his wife, Bernadette, in the small central town of Sarran.

Yet Chirac’s gamble on a referendum rather than a safe ratification vote in parliament is in danger of failing. Opinion polls showed support for the charter tumble from about 60 pc eight months ago to between 44 and 48 pc last week.

There is much at stake for the 72-year-old president. A rejection of the treaty would be a big setback for Chirac two years before presidential and parliamentary elections.

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The constitution sets rules for the EU that are intended to simplify decision-making after the bloc’s enlargement from 15 to 25 member states in May 2004. But many French voters regard the referendum as a chance to punish Chirac and his conservative government for unemployment at a 5-year high of 10.2 pc.

‘‘I voted ‘No’ in all conscience, having read the text, due to the lack of will to solve Europe’s problem of unemployment,’’ said Armel Bompart, 52, a civil servant in Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament. Others such as Burgundy restaurateur Jose Robalo said he changed his mind last minute to back the constitution despite deep misgivings about European integration.

‘‘I have disagreed with Europe and I am thinking of my children — perhaps it will be better for them,’’ Robalo said behind the bar of his Moulin A Vent restaurant in city of Dijon.

France has 42 mn voters, with around one-in-five undecided when campaigning ended on Friday. The constitution was signed by EU leaders last October in Rome after tough negotiations and requires the approval of all member states to go into force. So far, nine have approved it. —Reuters

OUI & NON
   

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