French voters thumbed their noses up at French President Chirac and voted to reject the new EU Constitution, plunging the confederation into chaos and throwing the entire ratification procedure into doubt. France, as a founding member of the European Union, was the first European nation to reject it outright.
Chirac has said that he will submit the treaty to the French Parliament to get around a 'no' vote, but since the treaty was defeated 55% to 45%, he may not do that for fear of losing his own job. His approval rating in France is currently at 39%, so he may get rid of his very unpopular Prime Minister. Parliament might also get cold feet since the people who elected them have already spoken on how they feel about the EU Constitution.
The Netherlands also have a ratification vote on Wednesday, and polls suggest that 60% of voters there will vote 'no'. It remains to see if the defeat of the EU constitution in France will make the 'no' vote any stronger in the Netherlands.
While it's enjoyable to see the bombastic Chirac suffer a political setback like this, it probably won't be good for the world economy or for EU foreign affairs around the world. EU efforts in Iran and Africa could well suffer from this election defeat in France.
The jury is still out on what will happen next.
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