France decides ‘Non’!

PARIS, May 29 (AFP) – French voters Sunday massively rejected the first-ever EU constitution in a historic referendum that deals a devastating blow to Europe’s grand integration project, according to exit polls giving the “no” camp about 55 percent.  

The vote was also a political slap in the face to President Jacques Chirac who had staked his prestige on the campaign for the treaty.  

The CSA polling institute said the “no” camp had won an estimated 55.6 percent of the vote, the Ipsos institute put the figure at 55 percent, while Sofres said 54.5 percent had voted “no”.