French Socialists on Thursday have overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Constitution with a massive turnout, according to party officials. Over 95,000 of the possible 127,027 eligible to vote turned out to cast their ballot and indications are that the "yes" camp received between 55 and 60 percent of the vote. The leader of the "yes" camp, party head Francois Hollande was delighted with the result, "this victory is a rallying cry to others" and said that the Socialists could be "genuinely proud of themselves and their party". Admitting defeat, Laurent Fabius, the deputy leader who led opposition to the Constitution said, "I take note of the vote but I certainly regret it."

The overwhelming "yes" – which follows months of fierce debate within the Socialist party – is likely to boost French President Jacques Chirac’s campaign for a "yes" in the national referendum, to be held as early as May next year. Both main parties will now be campaigning in favor of the Constitution. Eurosceptic parties, along with Communists and the far-right Front National party will campaign against it. Opinion polls currently show that the French people are broadly in favor of the Constitution, but France has a history of producing close votes on European issues. (EUObserver.com)