Chirac heading for poll defeat
A string of polls is pointing to defeat for president Jacques Chirac in France's referendum on the European Union constitution on Sunday.
The latest poll indicated that his opponents were gaining momentum in the final days.
Prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin warned that a no vote would create a political crisis and economic fallout.
But the unpopularity of Chirac's government and France's 10 per cent unemployment rate has helped the "no" camp, which draws much of its support from opposition parties on the Left.
