Chirac to announce new strategy as he seeks to recover from stunning setback

Jacques Chirac, France's president, was expected to announce 31 May 2005 a new line-up and strategy for his embattled government as he responds to EU constitution referendum defeat of 29 May. The French Interior Ministry confirmed that voters had rejected Europe's constitutional treaty by a margin of 54.9 per cent to 45.1 per cent, making France the first European Union member state to shoot down the EU's proposed new Constitutional Treaty.