The people of France created a political earthquake for their own country and the entire European Union yesterday by becoming the first country to reject the constitutional treaty, by a resounding 56 per cent.
The official result showed that only 44 per cent of voters backed the treaty.
A haggard President Jacques Chirac took the unprecedented step of going on television after initial results were announced to acknowledge "the sovereign decision" of the French people.
"Nonetheless, our interests and ambitions are profoundly tied to Europe," he said. "I want to tell our European partners and all the peoples of Europe that France continues to maintain her full place, in the respect of her commitments. I shall watch over it."
Nine other countries have already ratified the treaty, and Mr Chirac said the process will continue.
Dismissing rumours that he might resign or dissolve the National Assembly, Mr Chirac said he would represent France at the EU summit in Brussels on June 16th.
"Let us not fool ourselves," he said. "The decision of France creates a difficult context for the defence of our interests in Europe." Mr Chirac said he would act "in the very next days" to "give a new impetus" and new priorities to the French government.
Prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is expected to submit his resignation this morning. He will probably be replaced quickly by the interior minister, Dominique de Villepin.
The viability of continuing the ratification process is now in doubt, especially if the Netherlands vote No as expected on June 1st. The French No could make it problematic for the EU to complete difficult budget negotiations for the next seven-year period.
The No victory was to a large extent motivated by dissatisfaction with the French executive. The campaign muddled France's traditional left-right divide, with the socialist party splitting between the mostly pro-treaty leadership and 58 per cent of socialist voters who followed opponents of the constitution.
Francois Hollande, the socialist leader, blamed Mr Chirac. "The French expressed their anger and exasperation with the head of state, who not only broke all his commitments but refused to hear them," he said.
The extreme left and extreme right formed a de facto alliance and managed to persuade significant numbers of mainstream voters that France's domestic problems were linked to European integration.
France's No vote was interpreted as a reaction to last year's enlargement of the EU, and as an after-shock of April 21st 2002, when the extreme right-wing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen won a place in the run-off in the presidential election. Mr Chirac won by 82 per cent in the final round, but the left deeply resented having to vote for him.
The defeat of the treaty eliminates any possibility of a third term for Mr Chirac (72). He will now go down in history as the leader who dealt a severe blow to European integration.
The last two years of Mr Chirac's term are likely to be dominated by the power struggle between Mr de Villepin and the UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy, both of whom want to succeed him. An opinion poll last week gave Mr Sarkozy a 35 per cent popularity rating, compared with 18 per cent for Mr de Villepin.
Mr Sarkozy started his presidential campaign last night. "The French are urging us to end our immobility," he said, calling for "two priorities: a way to make Europe function quickly" and a return to the community preference within the EU.
He said France must fight outsourcing and bring immigration under control. "A difficult period is beginning," Mr Sarkozy said. "I will try. . .to help to find the path to bring France out of the situation she is now in."
Deaglán de Bréadún writes: The Government intends to go ahead with its planned referendum on the EU constitution despite the French result. Minister of State for European Affairs Noel Treacy said the poll would take place "in due course" but he gave no indication as to the timing.
Longtime Eurosceptic campaigner Anthony Coughlan called on the Government to "abandon any talk of holding a referendum".
Green Party TD John Gormley said it made "little sense" to proceed with the proposed Irish referendum and the ratification process as the constitution required approval of all EU member-states.
