A referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held in France on 29 May 2005 to decide whether the French government 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%.
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]
National referendums on the European Constitutional Treaty |
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Superseded by the Treaty of Lisbon (2007) |
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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 referendum date was announced on 4 March 2005.
However, prior to the referendum, 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. [3]
All the three major political forces, the Union for a Popular Movement, Socialist Party and Union for French Democracy, 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.
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. [4]
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. [5]
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".
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. [6]
Choice | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
For | 12,808,270 | 45.33 | |
Against | 15,449,508 | 54.67 | |
Total | 28,257,778 | 100.00 | |
Valid votes | 28,257,778 | 97.48 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 730,522 | 2.52 | |
Total votes | 28,988,300 | 100.00 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 41,789,202 | 69.37 | |
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
Region | For | % | Against | % | Invalid votes | Turnout |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Department | For | % | Against | % | Valid votes | Invalid votes | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paris | 532,040 | 66.45 | 268,617 | 33.55 | 800,657 | 13,126 | 813,783 | 1,084,114 | 75.06 | |
Seine-et-Marne | 225,904 | 44.80 | 278,308 | 55.20 | 504,212 | 10,888 | 515,100 | 733,535 | 70.22 | |
Yvelines | 353,085 | 59.53 | 240,020 | 40.47 | 593,105 | 10,256 | 603,361 | 836,989 | 72.09 | |
Essonne | 236,408 | 49.29 | 243,221 | 50.71 | 479,629 | 9,864 | 489,493 | 685,325 | 71.42 | |
Hauts-de-Seine | 358,968 | 61.90 | 220,915 | 38.10 | 579,883 | 10,201 | 590,084 | 826,795 | 71.37 | |
Seine-Saint-Denis | 150,848 | 38.48 | 241,151 | 61.52 | 391,999 | 8,194 | 400,193 | 637,385 | 62.79 | |
Val-de Marne | 229,880 | 50.00 | 229,921 | 50.00 | 459,801 | 8,599 | 468,400 | 684,036 | 68.48 | |
Val-de Oise | 191,269 | 46.53 | 219,831 | 53.47 | 411,100 | 8,187 | 419,287 | 616,343 | 68.03 | |
Ardennes | 47,478 | 37.21 | 80,125 | 62.79 | 127,603 | 2,664 | 130,267 | 192,179 | 67.78 | |
Aube | 56,807 | 42.99 | 75,345 | 57.01 | 132,152 | 3,203 | 135,355 | 196,136 | 69.01 | |
Marne | 113,948 | 46.33 | 131,988 | 53.67 | 245,936 | 5,193 | 251,129 | 370,728 | 67.74 | |
Haute-Marne | 39,795 | 41.58 | 55,921 | 58.42 | 95,716 | 2,441 | 98,157 | 141,073 | 69.58 | |
Aisne | 85,475 | 33.25 | 171,616 | 66.75 | 257,091 | 5,473 | 262,564 | 366,193 | 71.70 | |
Oise | 134,591 | 37.62 | 223,129 | 62.38 | 357,720 | 6,998 | 364,718 | 513,072 | 71.09 | |
Somme | 95,893 | 33.20 | 192,968 | 66.80 | 288,861 | 6,192 | 295,053 | 400,004 | 73.76 | |
Eure | 100,447 | 37.10 | 170,308 | 62.90 | 270,755 | 5,614 | 276,369 | 382,292 | 72.29 | |
Seine-Maritime | 208,546 | 34.92 | 388,712 | 65.08 | 597,258 | 12,211 | 609,469 | 841,738 | 72.41 | |
Cher | 60,935 | 39.60 | 92,927 | 60.40 | 153,862 | 4,399 | 158,261 | 226,259 | 69.95 | |
Eure-et-Loir | 82,338 | 42.57 | 111,075 | 57.43 | 193,413 | 4,973 | 198,386 | 279,243 | 71.04 | |
Indre | 44,871 | 36.72 | 77,338 | 63.28 | 122,209 | 4,283 | 126,492 | 174,877 | 72.33 | |
Indre-et-Loire | 123,389 | 45.68 | 146,707 | 54.32 | 270,096 | 6,835 | 276,931 | 378,397 | 73.19 | |
Loir-et-Cher | 67,721 | 41.01 | 97,425 | 58.99 | 165,146 | 4,648 | 169,794 | 232,895 | 72.91 | |
Loiret | 133,025 | 46.45 | 153,360 | 53.55 | 286,385 | 7,634 | 294,019 | 412,617 | 71.26 | |
Calvados | 142,966 | 44.24 | 180,191 | 55.76 | 323,157 | 6,863 | 330,020 | 459,573 | 71.81 | |
Manche | 114,958 | 45.74 | 136,363 | 54.26 | 251,321 | 6,577 | 257,898 | 359,667 | 71.70 | |
Orne | 66,478 | 44.49 | 82,947 | 55.51 | 149,425 | 3,815 | 153,240 | 211,837 | 72.34 | |
Côte-d'Or | 107,202 | 46.10 | 125,347 | 53.90 | 232,549 | 5,385 | 237,934 | 331,637 | 71.75 | |
Nièvre | 41,764 | 36.51 | 72,635 | 63.49 | 114,399 | 2,966 | 117,365 | 166,883 | 70.33 | |
Saône-et-Loire | 107,843 | 40.70 | 157,135 | 59.30 | 264,978 | 8,852 | 273,830 | 397,394 | 68.91 | |
Yonne | 64,037 | 39.62 | 97,586 | 60.38 | 161,623 | 3,718 | 165,341 | 236,494 | 69.91 | |
Nord | 437,285 | 38.06 | 711,580 | 61.94 | 1,148,865 | 26,103 | 1,174,968 | 1,725,296 | 68.10 | |
Pas-de-Calais | 224,109 | 30.51 | 510,509 | 69.49 | 734,618 | 17,491 | 752,109 | 1,055,794 | 71.24 | |
Meurthe-et-Moselle | 138,272 | 43.41 | 180,239 | 56.59 | 318,511 | 6,279 | 324,790 | 473,008 | 68.66 | |
Meuse | 39,618 | 41.39 | 56,103 | 58.61 | 95,721 | 2,222 | 97,943 | 137,901 | 71.02 | |
Moselle | 209,035 | 45.23 | 253,176 | 54.77 | 462,211 | 9,824 | 472,035 | 721,154 | 65.46 | |
Vosges | 80,147 | 40.96 | 115,518 | 59.04 | 195,665 | 5,586 | 201,251 | 283,696 | 70.94 | |
Bas-Rhin | 256,189 | 56.11 | 200,433 | 43.89 | 456,622 | 12,445 | 469,067 | 687,298 | 68.25 | |
Haut-Rhin | 162,079 | 49.72 | 163,923 | 50.28 | 326,002 | 8,893 | 334,895 | 489,991 | 68.35 | |
Doubs | 110,011 | 46.14 | 128,414 | 53.86 | 238,425 | 6,328 | 244,753 | 337,752 | 72.47 | |
Jura | 54,899 | 42.46 | 74,398 | 57.54 | 129,297 | 3,797 | 133,094 | 180,881 | 73.58 | |
Haute-Saône | 46,099 | 36.78 | 79,224 | 63.22 | 125,323 | 3,727 | 129,050 | 175,160 | 73.68 | |
Territoire de Belfort | 23,690 | 37.47 | 39,529 | 62.53 | 63,219 | 1,561 | 64,780 | 89,511 | 72.37 | |
Loire-Atlantique | 305,127 | 51.12 | 291,722 | 48.88 | 596,849 | 17,585 | 614,434 | 844,344 | 72.77 | |
Maine-et-Loire | 192,037 | 52.99 | 170,367 | 47.01 | 362,404 | 12,766 | 375,170 | 518,825 | 72.31 | |
Mayenne | 77,285 | 52.37 | 70,285 | 47.63 | 147,570 | 5,972 | 153,542 | 214,687 | 71.52 | |
Sarthe | 113,383 | 42.58 | 152,878 | 57.42 | 266,261 | 8,313 | 274,574 | 387,989 | 70.77 | |
Vendée | 154,034 | 50.20 | 152,786 | 49.80 | 306,820 | 11,634 | 318,454 | 441,749 | 72.09 | |
Côtes-d'Armor | 146,445 | 46.72 | 166,991 | 53.28 | 313,436 | 8,530 | 321,966 | 430,720 | 74.75 | |
Finistère | 232,396 | 51.12 | 222,193 | 48.88 | 454,589 | 11,729 | 466,318 | 640,668 | 72.79 | |
Ille-et-Vilaine | 240,065 | 53.81 | 206,110 | 46.19 | 446,175 | 13,448 | 459,623 | 628,199 | 73.17 | |
Morbihan | 183,367 | 50.65 | 178,653 | 49.35 | 362,020 | 10,195 | 372,215 | 509,176 | 73.10 | |
Charente | 71,631 | 40.76 | 104,108 | 59.24 | 175,739 | 5,245 | 180,984 | 253,451 | 71.41 | |
Charente Maritime | 130,573 | 44.38 | 163,652 | 55.62 | 294,225 | 8,355 | 302,580 | 426,181 | 71.00 | |
Deux-Sèvres | 88,433 | 48.67 | 93,253 | 51.33 | 181,686 | 7,214 | 188,900 | 261,766 | 72.16 | |
Vienne | 91,453 | 44.82 | 112,596 | 55.18 | 204,049 | 6,683 | 210,732 | 288,959 | 72.93 | |
Dordogne | 83,512 | 37.64 | 138,347 | 62.36 | 221,859 | 7,160 | 229,019 | 300,288 | 76.27 | |
Gironde | 276,219 | 43.73 | 355,495 | 56.27 | 631,714 | 14,663 | 646,377 | 886,995 | 72.87 | |
Landes | 79,132 | 41.64 | 110,917 | 58.36 | 190,049 | 5,886 | 195,935 | 265,975 | 73.67 | |
Lot-et-Garonne | 62,741 | 38.04 | 102,203 | 61.96 | 164,944 | 5,372 | 170,316 | 230,573 | 73.87 | |
Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 154,086 | 47.87 | 167,831 | 52.13 | 321,917 | 10,071 | 331,988 | 460,580 | 72.08 | |
Ariège | 28,435 | 36.28 | 49,949 | 63.72 | 78,384 | 2,540 | 80,924 | 109,384 | 73.98 | |
Aveyron | 71,743 | 46.52 | 82,493 | 53.48 | 154,236 | 6,754 | 160,990 | 213,821 | 75.29 | |
Haute-Garonne | 240,661 | 46.10 | 281,408 | 53.90 | 522,069 | 14,205 | 536,274 | 733,866 | 73.08 | |
Gers | 40,949 | 41.59 | 57,502 | 58.41 | 98,451 | 3,877 | 102,328 | 136,301 | 75.08 | |
Lot | 38,559 | 40.23 | 57,282 | 59.77 | 95,841 | 3,266 | 99,107 | 128,313 | 77.24 | |
Hautes-Pyrénées | 47,671 | 38.98 | 74,636 | 61.02 | 122,307 | 3,644 | 125,951 | 170,504 | 73.87 | |
Tarn | 78,028 | 40.79 | 113,268 | 59.21 | 191,296 | 7,875 | 199,171 | 264,190 | 75.39 | |
Tarn-et-Garonne | 42,784 | 38.19 | 69,233 | 61.81 | 112,017 | 3,789 | 115,806 | 156,426 | 74.03 | |
Corrèze | 57,351 | 43.07 | 75,804 | 56.93 | 133,155 | 4,652 | 137,807 | 183,650 | 75.04 | |
Creuse | 25,433 | 38.06 | 41,386 | 61.94 | 66,819 | 2,542 | 69,361 | 99,706 | 69.57 | |
Haute-Vienne | 74,573 | 40.06 | 111,589 | 59.94 | 186,162 | 7,061 | 193,223 | 259,304 | 74.52 | |
Ain | 110,194 | 47.18 | 123,377 | 52.82 | 233,571 | 6,057 | 239,628 | 346,686 | 69.12 | |
Ardèche | 64,249 | 40.00 | 96,376 | 60.00 | 160,625 | 4,681 | 165,306 | 224,529 | 73.62 | |
Drôme | 93,060 | 41.78 | 129,696 | 58.22 | 222,756 | 6,045 | 228,801 | 318,483 | 71.84 | |
Isère | 232,316 | 46.42 | 268,107 | 53.58 | 500,423 | 12,248 | 512,671 | 730,733 | 70.16 | |
Loire | 141,887 | 44.16 | 179,386 | 55.84 | 321,273 | 9,790 | 331,063 | 485,077 | 68.25 | |
Rhône | 349,663 | 54.18 | 295,735 | 45.82 | 645,398 | 14,035 | 659,433 | 945,746 | 69.73 | |
Savoie | 90,331 | 48.63 | 95,412 | 51.37 | 185,743 | 4,673 | 190,416 | 271,196 | 70.21 | |
Haute-Savoie | 159,529 | 53.94 | 136,243 | 46.06 | 295,772 | 7,337 | 303,109 | 437,412 | 69.30 | |
Allier | 68,600 | 39.79 | 103,813 | 60.21 | 172,413 | 5,548 | 177,961 | 253,647 | 70.16 | |
Cantal | 38,999 | 47.44 | 43,203 | 52.56 | 82,202 | 2,792 | 84,994 | 121,975 | 69.68 | |
Haute-Loire | 49,998 | 42.10 | 68,759 | 57.90 | 118,757 | 4,475 | 123,232 | 168,088 | 73.31 | |
Puy-de-Dôme | 129,582 | 42.69 | 173,932 | 57.31 | 303,514 | 8,939 | 312,453 | 428,309 | 72.95 | |
Aude | 60,912 | 35.38 | 111,233 | 64.62 | 172,145 | 4,660 | 176,805 | 241,648 | 73.17 | |
Gard | 116,669 | 35.91 | 208,200 | 64.09 | 324,869 | 7,182 | 332,051 | 455,217 | 72.94 | |
Hérault | 181,531 | 39.86 | 273,892 | 60.14 | 455,423 | 14,019 | 469,442 | 654,395 | 71.74 | |
Lozère | 19,409 | 46.23 | 22,572 | 53.77 | 41,981 | 1,454 | 43,435 | 58,972 | 73.65 | |
Pyrénées-Orientales | 72,704 | 35.47 | 132,256 | 64.53 | 204,960 | 4,618 | 209,578 | 294,226 | 71.23 | |
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 32,072 | 39.73 | 48,647 | 60.27 | 80,719 | 2,242 | 82,961 | 112,632 | 73.66 | |
Haute Alpes | 30,536 | 44.13 | 38,666 | 55.87 | 69,202 | 2,034 | 71,236 | 97,823 | 72.82 | |
Alpes-Maritimes | 208,426 | 47.45 | 230,818 | 52.55 | 439,244 | 8,549 | 447,793 | 668,088 | 67.03 | |
Bouches-du-Rhône | 308,040 | 38.20 | 498,413 | 61.80 | 806,453 | 14,541 | 820,994 | 1,179,550 | 69.60 | |
Var | 189,811 | 42.46 | 257,183 | 57.54 | 446,994 | 8,286 | 455,280 | 666,146 | 68.35 | |
Vaucluse | 91,639 | 37.31 | 154,004 | 62.69 | 245,643 | 5,682 | 251,325 | 350,503 | 71.70 | |
Corse-du-Sud | 20,526 | 41.29 | 29,183 | 58.71 | 49,709 | 690 | 50,399 | 88,646 | 56.85 | |
Haute-Corse | 25,072 | 43.04 | 33,181 | 56.96 | 58,253 | 770 | 59,023 | 106,296 | 55.53 | |
Guadeloupe | 33,779 | 58.60 | 23,863 | 41.40 | 57,642 | 6,650 | 64,292 | 289,443 | 22.21 | |
Martinique | 48,179 | 69.03 | 21,620 | 30.97 | 69,799 | 7,453 | 77,252 | 272,339 | 28.37 | |
French Guiana | 6,850 | 60.14 | 4,541 | 39.86 | 11,391 | 1,264 | 12,655 | 54,762 | 23.11 | |
Réunion | 95,298 | 40.01 | 142,871 | 59.99 | 238,169 | 14,472 | 252,641 | 471,155 | 53.62 | |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 1,139 | 62.69 | 678 | 37.31 | 1,817 | 62 | 1,879 | 4,805 | 39.11 | |
Mayotte | 17,585 | 86.46 | 2,754 | 13.54 | 20,339 | 713 | 21,052 | 55,904 | 37.66 | |
Wallis and Futuna | 4,772 | 89.67 | 550 | 10.33 | 5,322 | 45 | 5,367 | 10,385 | 51.68 | |
French Polynesia | 30,649 | 72.88 | 11,404 | 27.12 | 42,053 | 696 | 42,749 | 157,044 | 27.22 | |
New Caledonia | 35,948 | 78.77 | 9,691 | 21.23 | 45,639 | 1,349 | 46,988 | 135,217 | 34.75 | |
Source: European Election Database |
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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.
The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003.
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded qualified majority voting into policy areas which had previously been decided by unanimity among member states.
A referendum was expected to take place in the United Kingdom in 2006 to decide whether the country should ratify the proposed Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. However, following the rejection of the Constitution by similar referendums in France in May 2005 and the Netherlands in June 2005, the UK vote was postponed indefinitely. The question was thought to have been settled when the constitution was superseded by the Treaty of Lisbon, which Parliament ratified in 2008 without holding a referendum.
The United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum, also known variously as the Referendum on the European Community (Common Market), the Common Market referendum and EEC membership referendum, took place under the provisions of the Referendum Act 1975 on 5 June 1975 in the United Kingdom to gauge support for the country's continued membership of the three European Communities (EC) – principally the European Economic Community (EEC, the 'Common Market'), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). — which it had joined as a member state two-and-a-half years earlier on 1 January 1973 under the Conservative government of Edward Heath. The Labour Party's manifesto for the October 1974 general election had promised that the people would decide through the ballot box whether to remain in the EC.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Act 2002 is an amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which permitted the state to ratify the Treaty of Nice. It was approved by referendum on 19 October 2002 and signed into law on 7 November of the same year. The amendment followed a previous failed attempt to approve the Nice Treaty which was rejected in the first Nice referendum held in 2001.
This is a list of referendums related to the European Union, or referendums related to the European Communities, which were predecessors of the European Union. Since 1972, a total of 48 referendums have been held by EU member states, candidate states, and their territories, with several additional referendums held in countries outside the EU. The referendums have been held most commonly on the subject of whether to become a member of European Union as part of the accession process, although the EU does not require any candidate country to hold a referendum to approve membership or as part of treaty ratification. Other EU-related referendums have been held on the adoption of the euro and on participation in other EU-related policies.
A referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held in Spain on Sunday, 20 February 2005. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe?". The consultative referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution for the European Union was approved by 81.8% of valid votes, although turnout was just 41.8%, the lowest since the end of the Franco era.
A consultative referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held in the Netherlands on 1 June 2005 to decide whether the government should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. The result was a "No" vote.
The Czech referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was expected to take place in 2006 to decide whether the Czech Republic should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. Following the rejection of the Constitution by voters in France and the Netherlands, the Czech government announced that the proposed referendum would not be held.
A referendum on ratifying the proposed European Constitution was held in Luxembourg on 10 July 2005. The referendum was Luxembourg's first since 1937. On 28 June 2005 Parliament approved the constitution in advance of the referendum, and although the referendum was consultative, parliament agreed to abide by the results.
The Irish referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was a vote that was planned but did not occur. The referendum was expected to take place in 2005 or 2006 to decide whether Ireland should ratify the proposed EU Constitution. Following the rejection of the Constitution by voters in the French referendum of May 2005 and the Dutch referendum of June 2005, the planned Irish referendum was postponed indefinitely.
Holger Kirkholm Nielsen, known as Holger K. Nielsen, is a Danish politician, member of the Folketing for the Socialist People's Party. He was Denmark's Minister for Foreign Affairs for 49 days from December 2013 through January 2014. He was the leader of the Socialist People's Party from 1991 to 2005 and served as the Minister for Taxation from 2012 to 2013.
A referendum on the Maastricht Treaty for the founding of the European Union was held in France on 20 September 1992. It was approved by 51% of the voters. The result of the referendum, known as the "petit oui", along with the Danish "No" vote (50,7%) are considered to be signals of a transition into another stadium of European integration, away from the "permissive consensus" which had existed in most memberstates until then. From this point forward issues relating to European integration were subject to more intensive discussions across much of Europe, and later overt euroscepticism gained prominence. Only France, Ireland and Denmark held referendums on the Maastricht Treaty ratification.
A referendum on joining the Eurozone was held in Denmark on 28 September 2000. It was rejected by 53.2% of voters with a turnout of 87.6%.
The European Referendum Campaign (ERC) was an independent, Europe-wide, cross party network of NGOs and individuals which intended to bring together campaigners to fight for democratic development within the European Union. Its sole objective was to gain as many referendums on the 2007 EU Lisbon Treaty in as many EU member states as possible. The ERC was supported by the NGO Mehr Demokratie, and by Democracy International, a split-off of Mehr Demokratie, whose people also created the European Citizens' Initiative. The ERC cooperated with the European political party EUDemocrats – Alliance for a Europe of Democracies, as inspired and presided by Jens-Peter Bonde.
The Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2008 was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Ireland that was put to a referendum in 2008. The purpose of the proposed amendment was to allow the state to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union.
The Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act 2009 is an amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which permitted the state to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union. It was approved by referendum on 2 October 2009.
The ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon was officially completed by all member states of the European Union on 13 November 2009 when the Czech Republic deposited its instrument of ratification with the Italian government. The Lisbon Treaty came into force on the first day of the month following the deposition of the last instrument of ratification with the government of Italy, which was 1 December 2009.
The Socialist Party is a French centre-left and social-democratic political party. It holds pro-European views. The PS was for decades the largest party of the "French Left" and used to be one of the two major political parties in the French Fifth Republic, along with The Republicans. It replaced the earlier French Section of the Workers' International in 1969 and is currently led by First Secretary Olivier Faure. The PS is a member of the Party of European Socialists, Progressive Alliance and Socialist International.
The United Kingdom was a member state of the European Union (EU) and of its predecessor the European Communities (EC) – principally the European Economic Community (EEC) from 1 January 1973 until 31 January 2020. Since the foundation of the EEC, the UK had been an important neighbour and then leading member state, until Brexit ended 47 years of membership. During the UK's time as a member state two referendums were held on the issue of its membership, with the first being held on 5 June 1975, resulting in a vote to stay in the EC, and the second, held on 23 June 2016, which resulted in the vote to leave the EU.