2005 French European Constitution referendum

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2005 French European Constitution referendum

29 May 2005 (2005-05-29)

Do you approve the bill authorising the ratification of the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Yes 12,808,270 45.33%
No 15,449,508 54.67%
Valid votes 28,257,778 97.48%
Invalid or blank votes 730,522 2.52%
Total votes 28,988,300 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 41,789,202 69.37%

Results by département
  Yes (over 55%)
  Yes (between 50% and 55%)
  No (between 50% and 55%)
  No (between 55% and 60%)
  No (over 60%)

The French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held on 29 May 2005 to decide whether France should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. The result was a victory for the "No" campaign, with 55% of voters rejecting the treaty on a turnout of 69%.

The question put to voters was:

Approuvez-vous le projet de loi qui autorise la ratification du traité établissant une Constitution pour l'Europe ?
"Do you approve the bill authorising the ratification of the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe?"

France was the second country to go to the polls in a referendum on ratification, after a Spanish referendum approved the treaty by a wide margin in February, but was the first to reject the treaty. France's rejection of the Constitution left the treaty with an uncertain future, with other EU member states pledging to continue with their own arrangements for ratification.

The result was surprising to political commentators, with those in favour of the "yes" vote having received 71% of mentions on television between 1 January and 31 March.[1]

Campaign[edit]

The text of the European Constitution, as distributed to each French voter

President Jacques Chirac's decision to hold a referendum was thought in some part to have been influenced in part by the surprise announcement that the United Kingdom was to hold a vote of its own, though it was also widely commented that the expected easy victory would also be an expression of confidence in the President. Moreover, it would do much to cement his legacy as a French statesman. It would also have a divisive effect on the opposition Socialist Party.[2] Although the adoption of a Constitution had initially been played down as a 'tidying-up' exercise with no need for a popular vote, as increasing numbers of EU member states announced their intention to hold a referendum, the French government came under increasing pressure to follow suit.

The date was announced on 4 March 2005. Opinion polling had shown the "Yes" and "No" campaigns in the lead at various times, but in the weeks leading up the referendum the "No" campaign consistently held the lead. This led many, even some on the "Yes" side, to predict openly that France would reject the Constitution.[3]

Socialist Party vote on stance[edit]

On 1 December 2004, the opposition Socialist Party held a vote among its members to determine the stance it would take. The issue of the Constitution had caused considerable divisions within the party, with many members—although broadly in favour of European integration—opposing the Constitution for reasons including a perceived lack of democratic accountability, and the threat they considered it posed to the European social model. The "Yes" side was led by party leader François Hollande while the "No" side was led by deputy leader Laurent Fabius. A former prime minister of France (1984–1986), Laurent Fabius traditionally on the center right of the Socialist Party opted for the No to the Constitution, switching to the left of the party. For many commentators, this paradoxical move was a gamble to get the upper hand within the party before the next presidential elections, in case of success of the No vote.[4]

Within the Socialist Party, out of 127,027 members eligible to vote, 59% voted "Yes", with a turnout of 79%. Out of 102 Socialist Party regional federations, 26 voted "No".

Amendment to the French Constitution[edit]

The Constitutional Council of France ruled that the European Constitution could not legally coexist with the current Constitution of France. For that reason, a vote was taken to amend the Constitution of France to make the two documents compatible.

This amendment passed in an extraordinary joint session of deputies and senators at the Palace of Versailles on 28 February 2005, with 730 votes in favour and 66 votes against, with 96 abstentions. Both the ruling party and the Socialists supported the constitutional amendment. Communist Party members were the only ones to vote against it.[5]

Opinion polls and course of the campaign[edit]

Polls on voting intentions for the referendum on the European Constitution in France (September 2004 - April 2005)
  Yes
  No

Initial opinion polls showed a clear majority in favour of the Constitution, but public opposition grew over time. By May, the "Yes" campaign's lead was smaller than the opinion pollsters' margin of error.

The three major political forces in France (UMP, PS and UDF) supported the proposed Constitution, as did president Chirac. Supporters of the Constitution from the left sought to emphasise that the treaty would incorporate a Charter of Fundamental Rights and thus helped to secure the future of the European social model. Somewhat surprisingly considering his usual political orientation, Jacques Chirac defended it as a possible barrier against neoliberal economic policies.

Olivier Besancenot, José Bové and Jean-Luc Mélenchon at a meeting supporting the "No" vote.

Objections to the Constitution in France could be broadly divided into two camps. On the left, many expressed the view that the Constitution would enforce a neoliberal economic model. Among those were some members of the Socialist Party who dissented from the party's stance as decided by its internal referendum, some members of the Green Party (though the party's official policy was also to support ratification), the Communist Party and the Citizen and Republican Movement - a small party allied to the Socialist Party. The Radical Party of the Left, another ally of the Socialist Party, was divided on the question: its main representatives were for the Constitution, while Christiane Taubira, who was candidate for the PRG in 2002, was against it.

Other parties of the hard left, such as the Trotskyist Revolutionary Communist League and Workers' Struggle, as well as associations like ATTAC and trade unions such as the CGT or SUD opposed ratification. These critics sought to link the Constitution to the proposed directive on services in the internal market, which is widely opposed in France.

There were also prominent opponents of the Constitution from the right, notably Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (a Gaullist) and Philippe de Villiers (of the Movement for France), and from the far right, Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front, who opposed the Constitution on the grounds that France should not be part of any institution whose decisions can take precedence over what is decided in France at a national level. Another factor in the defeat of the Constitution may have been the linking of the Constitution in the minds of voters with the possibility of the accession of Turkey to the European Union, with which most of the French population disagrees. The British UK Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage used funds from the EU Information Budget to send literature to French households opposing the Constitution.[6]

Results[edit]

Ballots for the referendum.

National results[edit]

French European Constitution referendum, 2005
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 15,449,508 54.67
Yes 12,808,270 45.33
Valid votes 28,257,778 97.48
Invalid or blank votes 730,522 2.52
Total votes 28,988,300 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 41,789,202 69.37
Source: French Minister of the Interior

Results by region[edit]

Region Invalid votes

(%)

Turnout

(%)

Yes % No %
Alsace 418,268 53.44 364,356 46,56 2.65 68.29
Aquitaine 655,690 42.84 874,793 57.16 2.74 73.38
Auvergne 287,179 42,43 389.707 57,57 3.11 71.88
Burgundy 320,846 41,48 452.703 58,52 2,63 70,16
Brittany 802,273 50,90 773.947 49,10 2,71 73,35
Centre 512,279 43,01 678.832 56,99 2,68 71,81
Champagne-Ardenne 258,028 42,90 343.379 57,10 2,20 68,31
Corsica 45,598 42,24 62.364 57,76 1,33 56,13
Franche-Comté 234,699 42,19 321.565 57,81 2,73 72,98
Guadeloupe 33,779 58,60 23.863 41,40 10,34 22,21
French-Guyana 6,850 60,14 4.541 39,86 9,99 23,11
Île-de-France 2,278,402 53,99 1.941.984 46,01 1,84 70,43
Languedoc-Roussillon 451,225 37,62 748.153 62,38 2,59 72,24
Limousin 157,357 40,75 228.779 59,25 3,56 73,78
Lothringia 467,072 43,57 605.036 56,43 2,18 67,83
Martinique 48,179 69,03 21.620 30,97 9,65 28,37
Midi-Pyrénées 588,830 42,84 785.771 57,16 3,23 74,27
Nord-Pas-de-Calais 661,394 35,12 1.222.089 64,88 2,26 69,29
Basse-Normandie 324,402 44,81 399.501 55,19 2,33 71,88
Haute-Normandie 308,993 35,60 559.020 64,40 2,01 72,37
Pays de la Loire 841,866 50,11 838.038 49,89 3,24 72,11
Picardie 315,959 34,96 587.713 65,04 2,02 72,10
Poitou-Charentes 382,090 44,65 473.609 55,35 3,11 71,78
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur 860,524 41,21 1.227.731 58,79 1,94 69,26
Réunion 95,298 40,01 142.871 59,99 5,73 53,62
Rhône-Alpes 1,241,229 48,38 1.324.332 51,62 2,47 69,96


Results by département[edit]

Département Valid

votes

Invalid

votes

Total

Votes

Electorate
Yes % No %
Paris 532,040 268,617 800,657 13,126 813,783 1,084,114
Seine-et-Marne 225,904 278,308 504,212 10,888 515,100 733,535
Yvelines 353,085 240,020 593,105 10,256 603,361 836,989
Essonne 236,408 243,221 479,629 9,864 489,493 685,325
Hauts-de-Seine 358,968 220,915 579,883 10,201 590,084 826,795
Seine-Saint-Denis 150,848 241,151 391,999 8,194 400,193 637,385
Val-de Marne 229,880 229,921 459,801 8,599 468,400 684,036
Val-de Oise 191,269 219,831 411,100 8,187 419,287 616,343
Ardennes 47,478 80,125 127,603 2,664 130,267 192,179
Aube 56,807 75,345 132,152 3,203 135,355 196,136
Marne 113,948 131,988 245,936 5,193 251,129 370,728
Haute-Marne 39,795 55,921 95,716 2,441 98,157 141,073
Aisne 85,475 171,616 257,091 5,473 262,564 366,193
Oise 134,591 223,129 357,720 6,998 364,718 513,072
Somme 95,893 192,968 288,861 6,192 295,053 400,004
Eure 100,447 170,308 270,755 5,614 276,369 382,292
Seine-Maritime 208,546 388,712 597,258 12,211 609,469 841,738
Cher 60,935 92,927 153,862 4,399 158,261 226,259
Eure-et-Loir 82,338 111,075 193,413 4,973 198,386 279,243
Indre 44,871 77,338 122,209 4,283 126,492 174,877
Indre-et-Loire 123,389 146,707 270,096 6,835 276,931 378,397
Loir-et-Cher 67,721 97,425 165,146 4,648 169,794 232,895
Loiret 133,025 153,360 286,385 7,634 294,019 412,617
Calvados 142,966 180,191 323,157 6,863 330,020 459,573
Manche 114,958 136,363 251,321 6,577 257,898 359,667
Orne 66,478 82,947 149,425 3,815 153,240 211,837
Côte-d'Or 107,202 125,347 232,549 5,385 237,934 331,637
Nièvre 41,764 72,635 114,399 2,966 117,365 166,883
Saône-et-Loire 107,843 157,135 264,978 8,852 273,830 397,394
Yonne 64,037 97,586 161,623 3,718 165,341 236,494
Nord 437,285 711,580 1,148,865 26,103 1,174,968 1,725,296
Pas-de-Calais 224,109 510,509 734,618 17,491 752,109 1,055,794
Meurthe-et-Moselle 138,272 180,239 318,511 6,279 324,790 473,008
Meuse 39,618 56,103 95,721 2,222 97,943 137,901
Moselle 209,035 253,176 462,211 9,824 472,035 721,154
Vosges 80,147 115,518 195,665 5,586 201,251 283,696
Bas-Rhin 256,189 200,433 456,622 12,445 469,067 687,298
Haut-Rhin 162,079 163,923 326,002 8,893 334,895 489,991
Doubs 110,011 128,414 238,425 6,328 244,753 337,752
Jura 54,899 74,398 129,297 3,797 133,094 180,881
Haute-Saône 46,099 79,224 125,323 3,727 129,050 175,160
Territoire de Belfort 23,690 39,529 63,219 1,561 64,780 89,511
Loire-Atlantique 305,127 291,722 596,849 17,585 614,434 844,344
Maine-et-Loire 192,037 170,367 362,404 12,766 375,170 518,825
Mayenne 77,285 70,285 147,570 5,972 153,542 214,687
Sarthe 113,383 152,878 266,261 8,313 274,574 387,989
Vendée 154,034 152,786 306,820 11,634 318,454 441,749
Côtes-d'Armor 146,445 166,991 313,436 8,530 321,966 430,720
Finistère 232,396 222,193 454,589 11,729 466,318 640,668
Ille-et-Vilaine 240,065 206,110 446,175 13,448 459,623 628,199
Morbihan 183,367 178,653 362,020 10,195 372,215 509,176
Charente 71,631 104,108 175,739 5,245 180,984 253,451
Charente Maritime 130,573 163,652 294,225 8,355 302,580 426,181
Deux-Sèvres 88,433 93,253 181,686 7,214 188,900 261,766
Vienne 91,453 112,596 204,049 6,683 210,732 288,959
Dordogne 83,512 138,347 221,859 7,160 229,019 300,288
Gironde 276,219 355,495 631,714 14,663 646,377 886,995
Landes 79,132 110,917 190,049 5,886 195,935 265,975
Lot-et-Garonne 62,741 102,203 164,944 5,372 170,316 230,573
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 154,086 167,831 321,917 10,071 331,988 460,580
Ariège 28,435 49,949 78,384 2,540 80,924 109,384
Aveyron 71,743 82,493 154,236 6,754 160,990 213,821
Haute-Garonne 240,661 281,408 522,069 14,205 536,274 733,866
Gers 40,949 57,502 98,451 3,877 102,328 136,301
Lot 38,559 57,282 95,841 3,266 99,107 128,313
Hautes-Pyrénées 47,671 74,636 122,307 3,644 125,951 170,504
Tarn 78,028 113,268 191,296 7,875 199,171 264,190
Tarn-et-Garonne 42,784 69,233 112,017 3,789 115,806 156,426
Corrèze 57,351 75,804 133,155 4,652 137,807 183,650
Creuse 25,433 41,386 66,819 2,542 69,361 99,706
Haute-Vienne 74,573 111,589 186,162 7,061 193,223 259,304
Ain 110,194 123,377 233,571 6,057 239,628 346,686
Ardèche 64,249 96,376 160,625 4,681 165,306 224,529
Drôme 93,060 129,696 222,756 6,045 228,801 318,483
Isère 232,316 268,107 500,423 12,248 512,671 730,733
Loire 141,887 179,386 321,273 9,790 331,063 485,077
Rhône 349,663 295,735 645,398 14,035 659,433 945,746
Savoie 90,331 95,412 185,743 4,673 190,416 271,196
Haute-Savoie 159,529 136,243 295,772 7,337 303,109 437,412
Allier 68,600 103,813 172,413 5,548 177,961 253,647
Cantal 38,999 43,203 82,202 2,792 84,994 121,975
Haute-Loire 49,998 68,759 118,757 4,475 123,232 168,088
Puy-de-Dôme 129,582 173,932 303,514 8,939 312,453 428,309
Aude 60,912 111,233 172,145 4,660 176,805 241,648
Gard 116,669 208,200 324,869 7,182 332,051 455,217
Hérault 181,531 273,892 455,423 14,019 469,442 654,395
Lozère 19,409 22,572 41,981 1,454 43,435 58,972
Pyrénées-Orientales 72,704 132,256 204,960 4,618 209,578 294,226
Alpes-de

Haute-Provence

32,072 48,647 80,719 2,242 82,961 112,632
Haute Alpes 30,536 38,666 69,202 2,034 71,236 97,823
Alpes-Maritimes 208,426 230,818 439,244 8,549 447,793 668,088
Bouches-du-Rhône 308,040 498,413 806,453 14,541 820,994 1,179,550
Var 189,811 257,183 446,994 8,286 455,280 666,146
Vaucluse 91,639 154,004 245,643 5,682 251,325 350,503
Corse-du-Sud 20,526 29,183 49,709 690 50,399 88,646
Haute-Corse 25,072 33,181 58,253 770 59,023 106,296
Guadeloupe 33,779 23,863 57,642 6,650 64,292 289,443
Martinique 48,179 21,620 69,799 7,453 77,252 272,339
French Guiana 6,850 4,541 11,391 1,264 12,655 54,762
Réunion 95,298 142,871 238,169 14,472 252,641 471,155
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1,139 678 1,817 62 1,879 4,805
Mayotte 17,585 2,754 20,339 713 21,052 55,904
Wallis and Futuna 4,772 550 5,322 45 5,367 10,385
French Polynesia 30,649 11,404 42,053 696 42,749 157,044
New Caledonia 35,948 9,691 45,639 1,349 46,988 135,217
Source: European Election Database Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine

Consequences[edit]

The possible consequences of a "No" vote were highly debated in France before the referendum. Proponents of the Constitution, including Jacques Chirac, claimed that France's standing in Europe would be considerably weakened.

Pro-EU campaigners for a "No" vote (as opposed to those opposing the EU altogether) argue that the Constitution will be renegotiated. "No" vote campaigners, particularly the prominent socialist Laurent Fabius, have labelled this option Plan B. Campaigners for a "Yes" vote have stated that there would be no such Plan B and that the 'European project' could be brought to a standstill for at least ten years.

The perspective of renegotiation quickly appeared illusory after the result of the referendum. First, the challenge of renegotiation was made all the greater by the diversity of reasons for the rejection of the treaty.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was quickly replaced by Dominique de Villepin. UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy returned to the cabinet as Minister of the Interior.

This rejection, coupled with similar result in the Dutch referendum, seriously damaged the legitimacy of the Constitution; nevertheless, subsequent EU Presidency holders vowed to keep it going.

Sarkozy was elected President of the French Republic in May 2007. Amongst his pledges was a renegotiation and ratification of a treaty (rather than a constitution) without a referendum. Eventually, the new version of the text, the Lisbon Treaty, was voted by the Parliament.

On the internal political scene, the success of the referendum did not have the expected effect on the political landscape. Begrudged by the members of the Socialist Party for his divisive role, Laurent Fabius lost the race to the presidential primaries for the 2007 elections, finishing third (18.66%) behind Segolene Royal (60.65%) and Dominique Strauss-Kahn (20.83%). The proponents of the Yes eventually got the upper hand in the party, and the lasting division of the far left prevented the apparition of a strong opposition force on left of the Socialist Party by the proponents of the No. On the right of the political spectrum, the far right did not benefit from the success of the No and suffered, for the first time in 15 years a strong decline in the 2007 elections.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Comptage des intervenants à la télé de janvier à mars 2005 ("Arrêt sur images", F5)". Acrimed | Action Critique Médias.
  2. ^ Fontaine, Andre (4 October 2004). "Can Chirac remain on top?". search.japantimes.co. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  3. ^ "France names EU referendum date". BBC News. 4 March 2005.
  4. ^ Henley, John (1 December 2004). "Euro fighters". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "French lawmakers vote opens way for referendum on EU constitution". eubusiness.com. 28 February 2005. Archived from the original on 2 March 2005. Retrieved 1 March 2005.
  6. ^ "Nigel Farage reveals the moment he vowed to fight against the EU". LBC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2023.

External links[edit]