Apathy concern as French vote over presidency

Chirac: Strong advocate of plan to cut term of office

PARIS, France -- The polls have opened in France where voters are being asked to decide on whether to cut the president's term of office.

It is feared that recent fuel protests, led by fishermen and hauliers, and anger over low wages will result in a poor turnout.

The latest polls say only about 37 percent of eligible French voters intend to cast ballots in Sunday's referendum.

Of those who do vote, almost 75 percent are expected to vote "yes'"to reduce the president's term office from seven years to five.

VIDEO CNN's Peter Humi looks at how the French feel about the referendum Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

The polls opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and are due to close about 12 hours later, not long after which preliminary results are expected.

Voters will be asked one question: "Do you approve the proposed constitutional law fixing the term of the presidential mandate to five years?" A simple majority will suffice for the proposal to pass.

Previous French presidents have tried unsuccessfully to change the seven-year term, which has been in place since 1873.

Under the French Constitution, French presidents can serve two terms of office for up to 14 years.

Jospin is expected to run in the next presidential elections

In Europe, only Ireland has a similarly long term for its head of state, a length of time French political scientist Pascal Perrineau says is "neo-monarchical."

Advocates of the long term say it contributes to political stability while opponents says it is too long and that reform is needed.

Experts say the reduced term could cut down on "cohabitation," the term the French use to describe the situation when the president and the prime minister come from opposing political parties, as is the current case with conservative President Jacques Chirac and Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

Critics of "cohabitation" say it slows down passage of important laws and reforms.

The stakes are not extraordinarily high for either Chirac or Jospin, who are both in favour of the change.

Jospin says approval of the referendum would be the start of other political reforms backed by the Socialists, while Chirac, 69, says it would breathe life into French democracy by giving voters a chance to choose their president more often.

However, a poor voter turnout could be embarrassing for both Chirac and Jospin, who both are expected to stand as candidates in the next presidential elections in 2002.

The fallout could be worse for Chirac, who had the choice of convening a Congress -- a special joint session in Versailles of the National Assembly and the Senate -- which undoubtedly would have passed the measure, or holding a referendum.

Chirac opted for the latter, hoping to boost his chances by winning strong public backing for the five-year term, of which he became a strong advocate after fiercely opposing it for years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

French Government
Office of French President

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