You heard it here first (or almost first: I got it posted before even Drudge):
French voters rejected the European Union‘s first constitution Sunday, early government results showed — a stinging repudiation of the ambitious, decades-long effort to further unite the 25-nation bloc.
With about 83 percent of the votes counted, the referendum was rejected by 57.26 percent of voters, the Interior Ministry said. The treaty was supported by 42.74 percent, the ministry said.
How quick does Chirac blame the British or throw out the results?
More from CNN. Pretty good explanation of why the Referendum went down:
"I voted ‘No’ in all conscience, having read the text, due to the lack of will to solve Europe’s number one problem today, which is unemployment," said Armel Bompart, 52, a civil servant also voting in Strasbourg, home to the European parliament.
"I voted ‘Yes’ because I think Europe is important," Julie Lacour, 21, a student voting in Strasbourg in eastern France, told Reuters. "It’s been 60 years that we’ve been trying to construct Europe. Now we must keep going forward and not go backwards."
So, the one who voted No did it after research and consideration, much like why people voted for "Still the President" Bush. The one who voted Yes did so as a gut feeling with no real facts.
