French president Jacques Chirac said tonight he had "taken note" of France's rejection of the EU constitution in today's referendum, as exit polls and partial results revealed a defeat for the government-backed "yes" campaign.
"France has expressed itself democratically," Mr Chirac said in a television address. "It's your sovereign decision, and I have taken note."
Nevertheless, Mr Chirac said, "our interests and our ambitions are profoundly linked to Europe. France, a founding country of the union, naturally remains within the union."
Exit polls released as the polling stations closed at 9pm Irish time showed that the French had rejected the constitutional treaty by a margin of around 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
Mr Chirac said France would continue to play a full role in the European Union and respect its commitments to other member states.
"I will continue to defend the position of our country, taking into account the message of the French people," he said. But he added: "Make no mistake, France's decision inevitably creates a difficult context for the defence of our interests in Europe."
The victory of the "no" campaign makes the replacement of unpopular Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and a government reshuffle likely, commentators say.
Mr Chirac said he was aware of the "worries and expectations" expressed by French voters during the campaign. "I plan to respond by giving a strong new impulsion to the action of the government," he said. "I will inform you in the very next days of my decisions concerning the government and its priorities."
The defeat in France - expected to be followed by a similar result in the Netherlands referendum on Wednesday - could be enough to kill the constitution stone dead, particularly because Paris has always been one of the main engines driving the European project.
But the Irish Government but has insisted it will go ahead with referendum on the proposed EU constitution despite the French result.
All 25 EU nations must ratify the constitution for it to come into effect as planned in November 2006. Nine have so far ratified it, eight by a parliamentary vote and just one - Spain - by referendum.
France is the first country to vote down the treaty, but observers believe that its decision could have a domino effect on later referendums planned in Ireland as well as in the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and Britain.