French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin ruled out today a second referendum on the EU constitution should voters reject it in a first vote on Sunday.
"I don't think the prospect of a second referendum is something that France can accept," he said on BBC World television.
Polls show French voters are set to reject the EU charter, which aims to streamline decision making in the Union following its expansion to 25 members last year, in a national referendum on Sunday.
"France doesn't say 'Yes' one day and 'No' the next... France will express itself, it will express itself once, there will be no second round or second chance. "Once she has spoken, her message is clear," he said.
Mr Raffarin dismissed talk of calling a second referendum on the treaty if French voters rejected the charter by just a narrow majority, even if the country's European partners later approved the text.
"In France's democracy, there is no such thing as a 'little Yes' and a 'little No'. It's yes or no. You can be elected deputy by one vote; you can be elected president by one vote. "What matters is victory. Be it 'Yes' or 'No', the result cannot be contested. That's democracy."
Mr Raffarin sidestepped questions about his own future should voters reject the charter. Sunday's ballot was not a test of government popularity and President Jacques Chirac would decide in his own time how he wanted to shape the government for the rest of his five-year term, said Mr Raffarin.