FRANCE: OPPOSITION SOCIALIST PARTY HOLDS BALLOT TO DECIDE WHETHER TO VOTE "YES" OR "NO" IN FRANCE'S REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION
Record ID:
584875
FRANCE: OPPOSITION SOCIALIST PARTY HOLDS BALLOT TO DECIDE WHETHER TO VOTE "YES" OR "NO" IN FRANCE'S REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION
- Title: FRANCE: OPPOSITION SOCIALIST PARTY HOLDS BALLOT TO DECIDE WHETHER TO VOTE "YES" OR "NO" IN FRANCE'S REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION
- Date: 3rd December 2004
- Summary: (U7) PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 1, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SCU NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES READING "Socialists gamble for Europe", "Socialists play "yes" or "no" for Europe" and "Yes or No" 0.14 2. SCU SOCIALISTS SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE SOCIALIST FEDERATION IN THE 20TH DISTRICT OF PARIS AND PAN TO SOCIALISTS INSIDE BUILDING; SCU BULLETIN READING "Yes" AND "No"; MV SOCIALIST ORGANISER HANDING OVER BULLETIN TO VOTER; SCU POSTER READING "And now the social Europe"/PICTURE OF SOCIALIST EUROPEAN DEPUTY HARLEM DESIR 0.41 3. MV SOCIALISTS QUEUING BEFORE VOTING AND PAN TO BALLOT BOX; MV WOMAN VOTING; MORE PEOPLE QUEUING; MV MAN VOTING 1.03 4. (SOUNBITE) (French) JACQUES GUILLARD SAYING: "I voted yes because I think, first of all, that the constitutional treaty is less bad than the Nice treaty and there is an improvement, even though I'm not so keen about it. It is not a frank "yes", it is "yes" because and then, on the other hand, to move forward in Europe, we must move forward with the others and unfortunately, apart from the Belgians, there's not a lot of people (among the European Union) at the moment who are ready to embark with the socialists who are contesting the constitutional treaty." 1.41 5. MV WOMAN VOTING 1.49 6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) SOCIALIST HELENE SAYING: "I am rather for the "no" because I believe in it and I support this way of thinking. (Question: "Do you think it is important to vote) Answer: Yes, I think it will make the difference, let me stress that all the ballots are important." 2.08 7. SCU MAN VOTING 2.18 8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) SOCIALIST SAD SAYING: "The answer is simple, if we don't have a social Europe, it's not worth it. I am in favour of a social Europe." 2.26 9. MV VOTERS 2.31 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 18th December 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVAC9FJNCN891UH01EIO30XID3QW
- Story Text: France's opposition Socialist Party holds a ballot
to decide whether to vote "yes" or "no" in France's
referendum next year on the EU constitution.
The 120,000 members of the Socialist Party started
to vote on Wednesday (December 1st) in a party referendum
on the European Union (EU) constitution that could open the
door to a rejection of the charter.
Socialist supporters are asked whether they plan to
vote for or against the European Union consititution in a
referendum due to be held in France some time next year.
Voting started at 6pm (1700GMT) and will run for four
hours, with first trends expected around midnight but the
full result not known until Thursday (December 2).
In the 20th district of Paris, Socialist supporters are
really split between the "yes" and the "no" camps.
"I voted yes because I think, first of all, that the
constitutional treaty is less bad than the Nice treaty and
there is an improvement even though I'm not so keen about
it. It is not a frank "yes", it is "yes" because and
then, on the other hand, to move forward in Europe, we must
move forward with the others and unfortunately, apart from
the Belgians, there's not a lot of people (among the
European Union) at the moment who are ready to embark with
the socialists who are contesting the constitutional
treaty", said Jacques Guillard, a voter. "I am rather for
the "no" because I believe in it and I
support this way of thinking", said Helene, another voter.
Sad, a Socialist sympathiser added that he was in
favour of a social Europe and said: "The answer is simple,
if we don't have a social Europe, it's not worth it."
Opinion polls say over 60 percent of Socialist
sympathisers would vote "yes" but card-carrying members
could be influenced by other domestic political factors
since the race is also one for the future leadership of the
main opposition party.
Former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, the deputy party
leader, has placed a "double or nothing" bet by leading the
anti-treaty camp in the hope of using a victory to stake
his claim to be the Socialist presidential candidate in
2007.
Party leader Francois Hollande would boost his chances
to run in 2007 if his pro-treaty camp wins. But so many
other prominent Socialists are voting "yes" that he would
still have to fight off challengers to run for the top job.
European Socialists and trade unions broadly back the
treaty, as do French President Jacques Chirac and his
governing conservative UMP party. But many Socialists in
France would hesitate to vote the same way as Chirac,
having been forced to vote for the veteran conservative
leader in 2002 to block far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le
Pen in a presidential run-off ballot.
Laurent Fabius has based his campaign on charges the
treaty would dismantle social programmes that protect
European workers more than those in the United States. He
has also played on fears that Turkey's admission to the EU
would speed up this trend.
Pro-treaty Socialists, including former Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin, argue that the treaty is crucial for the
smooth working of an enlarged EU, and that a "no" would
cut-off the Socialists from their left-wing European
partners.
Chirac has promised a national referendum on the treaty
next year. A Socialist "yes" vote would assure him of
victory but a "no" vote would force him to pull out all the
stops to ensure anti-European feeling does not spread
across the political spectrum.
That nightmare scenario almost won the day in 1992 when
the French, estimated to be 70 percent in favour of the
Maastricht Treaty, finally approved it with a razor-thin
majority after a surprisingly successful campaign by the
"no" camp.
A "no" vote could plunge Europe into crisis because the
treaty must be approved by all 25 members.
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