French break apathy record in referendum

The referendum called by President Jacques Chirac on the length of the presidential mandate united France in apathy and political resentment yesterday. Only 30 per cent of the electorate bothered to vote, the lowest turnout in French history.

Mr Chirac had the choice of either allowing the Senate and National Assembly to vote the constitutional reform reducing the president's term from seven to five years, or calling a referendum. The prime minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, advocated a parliamentary vote, but Mr Chirac used his presidential prerogative to call the referendum.

But, like the president's dissolution of the National Assembly in April 1997, Mr Chirac's decision turned out to be a serious error. It was never in doubt that the reform would pass - 73.5 per cent voted "Yes" - but the 70 per cent abstention rate was widely interpreted as a public denunciation of a whole political class that is seen as mired in allegations of dishonesty. Since September 21st, the nation's attention has been focused on a videotape recorded by the late Mr Jean-Claude Mery, a one-time fundraiser for Mr Chirac's Gaullist RPR party, detailing how France's main political parties shook down companies for bribes. These revelations follow years of judicial investigations into corruption at the RPR-run Paris town hall and the MNEF, a socialist students' union.

"This is the first time in my life I have boycotted an election," said Mr Philippe O'Rourke, a business consultant. "I'm fed up with the political class. Foreigners always say we are arrogant, but our politicians are even more arrogant. This election is a mascarade, a fraud, a joke.

"There are at least 10 things people care about more: Corsica, European integration, our education system . . . But our leaders are terrified of asking difficult or divisive questions."

The previous lowest turnout was 36.89 per cent for a referendum on autonomy for New Caledonia in 1988. Mr Jean-Luc Parodi, the editor of The French Review of Political Science said yesterday's vote constituted "a new kind of referendum, without conflict, without suspense, without a campaign - and without voters".

By calling a referendum on a question that was already the subject of consensus, President Chirac may have discredited the institution. For 30 years, opinion polls have shown that a substantial majority of French people favoured a five-year term, and the public resented being asked to vote for the sake of formality. There have been 11 referendums in France since the second World War, but earlier votes addressed serious issues including the independence of Algeria, the resignation of Gen Charles de Gaulle and the Maastricht Treaty.

If the French took so little interest in yesterday's vote, it is largely the fault of their politicians. President Chirac set the tone in June. "We are asking the French a question," he said in a much mocked speech. "If they say yes, that's very good. If they say no, that's very good." In a September 21st address that was meant to exhort French people to vote, Mr Chirac noted that they would "only need 10 minutes".

On July 26th, the RPR's spokesman, Mr Patrick Devedjian, said: "The success of the referendum will be a success for the president of the Republic, since he wanted it to be held." Yet last week, when it became obvious that abstention would be high, Mr Devedjian said that "a high abstention rate would show the head of state was right, since he was cautious in this affair".

Two hundred French mayors initially refused to organise the poll in their towns. When threatened with suspension, and ineligibility for office, all but eight relented. The referendum underscored the rapidly souring mood in France. In July, the country was buoyed up by economic prosperity and victory in football's European Championship, but then came discontent over Mr Jospin's autonomy plan for Corsica and anger over Mr Chirac's £48,000 holiday in Mauritius.

After two weeks of protests by fishermen, road hauliers, farmers and others at the high price of fuel, Mr Jospin's popularity fell by 20 points, the president's by 10 - and that was before the Mery videotape emerged. Rumours that Mr Chirac may be suffering from throat cancer have only added to his woes.