1992 French Maastricht Treaty referendum
20 September 1992
Do you approve of the bill submitted to the French people by the President of the Republic authorizing the ratification of the Treaty on the European Union
Results
Choice
 Votes  %
Yes 13,162,992 51.05%
No 12,623,582 48.95%
Valid votes 25,786,574 96.59%
Invalid or blank votes 909,377 3.41%
Total votes 26,695,951 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 38,305,534 69.69%
Results by département
Yes:
  Over 60%
  55 to 60%
  50 to 55%
No:
  Over 55%
  50 to 55%

A referendum on the Maastricht Treaty for the founding of the European Union was held in France on 20 September 1992.[1] It was approved by 51% of the voters. The result of the referendum, known as the "petit oui", along with the Danish "No" vote (50,7%) are considered to be signals of a transition into another stadium of European integration, away from the "permissive consensus" which had existed in most memberstates until then. From this point forward issues relating to European integration were subject to more intensive discussions across much of Europe, and later overt euroscepticism gained prominence.[2] Only France, Ireland and Denmark held referendums on the Maastricht Treaty ratification.

Parties' stances

The center-left Socialist party (PS), then in power, as well as the center-right Union for French Democracy (UDF) campaigned in favor of the treaty. Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris and leader of the Gaullist RPR party, also took a pro-European stance, partly in the hopes to boost his chances for the next Presidential election.

On the other side, the Euroskeptic faction of the Rally for the Republic (RPR), dissented from its leader and heralded the "no" vote. Communists also opposed what they considered as an advance of neo-liberalism. Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National was also strongly opposed to any integration.

The Trotskytes from Lutte Ouvrière called for an abstention.

Support:

Opponents:

Abstain:

Those who opposed the ratification also included demographer Emmanuel Todd, on the basis of his work on European anthropology, arguing that differences between cultures would be too strong for a common currency to work.

Campaign

The introduction of a common currency was the most debated aspect of the campaign. The three major right-wing figures campaigning against it, Philippe Séguin, Charles Pasqua and Philippe de Villiers, often named souverainists, were arguing that it would be a blow to French monetary independence, and political sovereignty as a whole. Séguin and de Villiers were coming from the top school for senior civil service, the ÉNA, just like left-wing dissenter Jean-Pierre Chevènement.

The sovereignist campaign gained an unexpected momentum, beating the 'yes' vote in some polls.

Philippe Séguin and President François Mitterrand famously faced off in a passionate but nevertheless respectful television debate, also remembered for the fact that Mitterrand was in the midst of a cancer treatment, something hidden from the public at the time.

Results

Choice Metropolitan France Total
Votes % Votes %
For12,957,32450.813,162,99251.0
Against12,542,63549.212,623,58249.0
Invalid/blank votes880,783–909,377–
Total26,380,74210026,695,951100
Registered voters/turnout37,087,10471.138,305,53469.7
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By departement

Region For Against Electorate Votes Valid votes Invalid votes
Paris461,435276,6841,104,904752,945738,11914,826
Seine-et-Marne215,408225,813639,006452,808441,22111,587
Yvelines321,932239,186784,033573,159561,11812,041
Essonne248,708207,831646,038468,088456,53911,549
Hauts-de-Seine305,862233,911786,433551,610539,77311,837
Seine-Saint-Denis195,190232,288668,049438,695427,47811,217
Val-de Marne232,655221,938669,725465,636454,59311,043
Val-de Oise205,522193,243578,196408,431398,7659,666
Ardennes63,22164,825190,636132,190128,0464,144
Aube57,00972,340187,946133,700129,3494,351
Marne117,001111,766354,255235,534228,7676,767
Haute-Marne46,96851,310145,827101,89098,2783,612
Aisne112,218146,948366,176267,327259,1668,161
Oise147,359185,988460,412342,826333,3479,479
Somme114,959165,007382,372289,143279,9669,177
Eure105,984139,016340,222252,271245,0007,271
Seine-Maritime255,606304,597804,903579,069560,20318,866
Cher66,32787,160224,543159,793153,4876,306
Eure-et-Loir84,982101,161260,179192,238186,1436,095
Indre55,31869,968178,558131,592125,2866,306
Indre-et-Loire118,876127,497352,403255,339246,3738,966
Loir-et-Cher71,87986,902219,506165,362158,7816,581
Loiret127,627141,132372,594278,387268,7599,628
Calvados146,454146,938420,624301,987293,3928,595
Manche114,956125,606340,972248,699240,5628,137
Orne72,44577,249209,401155,201149,6945,507
Côte-d'Or104,510110,492313,432221,372215,0026,370
Nièvre58,52460,671173,634123,760119,1954,565
Saône-et-Loire128,134124,614391,991264,890252,74812,142
Yonne70,52484,992221,876160,563155,5165,047
Nord519,195613,9491,640,5631,175,4121,133,14442,268
Pas-de-Calais296,221411,838998,937737,659708,05929,600
Meurthe-et-Moselle167,761138,331463,533315,383306,0929,291
Meuse50,98344,940139,52999,34195,9233,418
Moselle254,719191,014679,500460,121445,73314,388
Vosges90,45097,799274,683196,843188,2498,594
Bas-Rhin290,786133,148624,637437,305423,93413,371
Haut-Rhin186,958117,603443,172314,621304,56110,060
Doubs115,991102,579311,004225,642218,5707,072
Jura63,24258,483173,072126,614121,7254,889
Haute-Saône53,46963,796166,854122,218117,2654,953
Territoire de Belfort26,96631,39185,55260,61558,3572,258
Loire-Atlantique281,704214,036725,314513,628495,74017,888
Maine-et-Loire182,420144,934472,178343,259327,35415,905
Mayenne74,13866,651200,733148,817140,7898,028
Sarthe122,176126,247367,876260,195248,42311,772
Vendée133,497135,099377,547282,340268,59613,744
Côtes-d'Armor176,140116,467414,780304,556292,60711,949
Finistère254,910173,951615,753442,893428,86114,032
Ille-et-Vilaine237,588140,987552,921394,185378,57515,610
Morbihan179,253137,045453,406329,455316,29813,157
Charente85,71485,698249,912178,676171,4127,264
Charente Maritime125,376133,445381,953267,897258,8219,076
Deux-Sèvres92,78081,924253,269183,983174,7049,279
Vienne94,98794,561271,606198,334189,5488,786
Dordogne94,168124,708301,258228,258218,8769,382
Gironde270,255280,025782,205565,450550,28015,170
Landes89,76378,226237,683174,798167,9896,809
Lot-et-Garonne73,67384,910222,311165,231158,5836,648
Pyrénées-Atlantiques153,841134,141419,228298,343287,98210,361
Ariège37,05736,583107,13176,64973,6403,009
Aveyron82,59464,738212,082156,762147,3329,430
Haute-Garonne227,375195,238609,195437,702422,61315,089
Gers47,85748,630136,741100,93196,4874,444
Lot46,30941,780122,19792,55488,0894,465
Hautes-Pyrénées60,65157,431171,127122,529118,0824,447
Tarn87,31991,835253,595189,039179,1549,885
Tarn-et-Garonne47,49059,056147,460111,219106,5464,673
Corrèze59,89370,930183,878136,655130,8235,832
Creuse30,27239,606107,93073,21369,8783,335
Haute-Vienne87,87993,437259,854191,315181,3169,999
Ain108,76989,417293,087205,091198,1866,905
Ardèche71,62268,900205,086146,872140,5226,350
Drôme95,20996,973280,400199,622192,1827,440
Isère237,376189,228632,403440,404426,60413,800
Loire159,246145,757474,077318,052305,00313,049
Rhône325,360256,619859,959598,577581,97916,598
Savoie85,50371,910236,577162,260157,4134,847
Haute-Savoie138,902104,586353,759250,223243,4886,735
Allier77,92998,200261,895184,234176,1298,105
Cantal37,63244,369125,25385,45382,0013,452
Haute-Loire56,45449,042157,437112,172105,4966,676
Puy-de-Dôme141,917130,477402,955284,781272,39412,387
Aude72,41883,233220,278160,959155,6515,308
Gard124,902153,751398,507287,721278,6539,068
Hérault174,771195,013535,358380,512369,78410,728
Lozère21,49518,08256,78241,40039,5771,823
Pyrénées-Orientales77,68394,071259,333176,935171,7545,181
Alpes-de Haute-Provence33,71835,95699,50672,36069,6742,686
Haute Alpes30,62226,21184,35459,16656,8332,333
Alpes-Maritimes192,495229,531655,429430,516422,0268,490
Bouches-du-Rôhne320,831397,3871,072,354735,772718,21817,554
Var161,893219,722560,396390,252381,6158,637
Vaucluse94,871124,907309,337226,725219,7786,947
Corse-du-Sud16,82521,56871,01139,18338,393790
Haute-Corse19,92526,39786,18547,46946,3221,147
Guadeloupe21,63010,435225,41637,55632,0655,491
Martinique30,70911,865227,01355,47142,57412,897
French Guiana3,9011,89033,9286,3685,791577
Réunion61,60921,380322,46688,48282,9895,493
Saint Pierre and Miquelon2151204,19740233567
Mayotte1,17336228,2461,6181,53583
Wallis and Futuna2,9248967,0583,8393,82019
French Polynesia14,8796,252106,72422,59421,1311,463
New Caledonia14,78314,96692,61931,24729,7491,498
Results by departament (including overseas of Guadeloupe, Martinique, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte)
  Yes
  No
Source: European Election Database Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine

References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p674 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ Harmsen, Robert and Menno Spiering, eds. Euroscepticism: Party Politics, National Identity and European Integration. Amsterdam: Radopi B.V., 2004. p. 25.
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