France Says No: The 29 May 2005 Referendum on the European Constitution

Via the 29 May 2005 referendum, the French electorate voted against the adoption of a constitution for the European Union (EU) and thereby sent shock waves across Europe. The grassroots rejection of the Constitution can be seen as both a vote against the policies and performance of the right-wing government and president of the day and a mobilisation against the latest development in the EU’s treaty architecture. As well as being a considerable blow against the prospects of Europe-wide ratification of the Constitutional Treaty, the decisive 55% No vote also has significant implications for domestic party politics – not least in the context of positioning for the 2007 presidential election.