New York Post Online Edition: Chirac Shock

In this op-ed piece, Kenneth R. Timmerman notes:

May 31, 2005 -- THE French people overwhelmingly rejected the proposed European Union constitution in a referendum on Sunday, handing a stunning political defeat to President Jacques Chirac and to the French political elites.

In a tactic reminiscent of alleged fraud in St. Louis, Mo. during the 2000 election, Chirac and his advisers held open the polls in Paris for two hours beyond the 8 p.m. closing time, hoping for a last-minute pool of support that would put them over the top.

Before those last-minute votes were counted, the French Interior Ministry tally showed the "No" vote winning a staggering 57 percent. The final count, released later, brought the nationwide rejection down to 54.87 percent, a respectable landslide.

He also looks at the background of the vote, and what it might mean. Just so you know, Timmerman is the author of The French Betrayal of America.