A leading opponent of the European Union constitution stepped up calls on today for the French government to resign if voters reject the new charter in a referendum on May 29th.
Far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen suggested it may already be too late for the supporters of the constitution to turn around opinion polls which put the "No" camp ahead.
A new BVA poll showed 53 per cent of French people who have decided how to vote oppose the treaty, slightly more than in polls earlier this week, and a Dutch survey showed opposition rising in the Netherlands which has a similar vote on June 1th.
"I think the gesticulations of the 'Yes' supporters, the mobilisation of foreign leaders (who back the treaty) ... will have no impact on the intentions of the French people. I think the decision has been taken," Le Pen told LCI television.
"If the country says 'No', they should perhaps take steps that had not been foreseen, perhaps the resignation of the government."
President Jacques Chirac, whose rating is down nine points to 39 per cent in the BVA poll, has said he will not quit if voters reject the treaty, which aims to make decision-making easier following the EU's enlargement to 25 members last year.
But the future of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, whose rating slumped to 21 per cent, is in doubt.
Speculation is mounting that Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie or centre-right UMP party leader Nicolas Sarkozy might soon replace him.
Rejection of the treaty by France could in theory torpedo the constitution because it requires the backing of all member states to go into force. It could cause a crisis of confidence in the EU and send ripples through financial markets.
In the Netherlands, a row over the terms under which the euro was introduced and Turkey's EU entry bid has pushed the "No" camp up to 54 per cent, according to a poll released by Centerdata, part of the Tilburg University.