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 bydépartement Yes:   Over 60%   55 to 60%   50 to 55% No:   Over 55%   50 to 55%

A referendum on theMaastricht Treaty for the founding of the European Union was held inFrance 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 theDanish "No" vote (50,7%) are considered to be signals of a transition of public opinion onEuropean integration, away from the "permissive consensus" which had existed in most member states until then. From this point forward issues relating to European integration were subject to more intensive discussions across much of Europe, and later overteuroscepticism gained prominence.^[2] Only France, Ireland and Denmark held referendums on the Maastricht Treaty ratification.

The center-leftSocialist party (PS), then in power, as well as the center-rightUnion for French Democracy (UDF) campaigned in favor of the treaty.Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris and leader of the GaullistRPR party, also took a pro-European stance, partly in the hopes to boost his chances for thenext Presidential election.

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

The Trotskytes fromLutte Ouvrière called for an abstention.

Support:

• Socialist party (PS)
• Union for French Democracy (UDF)

Opponents:

• left-wing:
  • Jean-Pierre Chevènement
  • French Communist Party (PCF)
  • Revolutionary Communist League (LCR)
• right-wing:
  • major figures in the GaullistRally for the Republic (RPR) includingPhilippe Séguin andCharles Pasqua (but not leaderJacques Chirac, and the then-lesser knownNicolas Sarkozy andFrançois Fillon)

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v t e

• • Philippe de Villiers
  • National Front

Abstain:

• Workers' Struggle (LO) (Arlette Laguiller was quoted as saying "A 'no' vote is a vote for Le Pen")

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

• 
  François Mitterrand
• 
  Philippe Séguin

The introduction of acommon currency was the most debated aspect of the campaign. The three major right-wing figures campaigning against it,Philippe Séguin,Charles Pasqua andPhilippe de Villiers, often namedsouverainists, 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, theÉNA, just like left-wing dissenterJean-Pierre Chevènement.

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

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

• 1992 referendums
• September 1992 in France
• 1992 elections in France
• Referendums in France
• 1992 in international relations
• 1992 in the European Economic Community
• France and the European Union
• Referendums related to the European Union
• Treaty on European Union

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