View source for 2000 French constitutional referendum

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Expand French|date=March 2025}}
{{infobox referendum
|title=Reduce the term of the President from seven years to five years.
|date={{start date|2000|09|24|df=y}}
|country=France
|flag_year=1974
|yes=7,407,697
|no=2,710,651
|invalid=1,940,340
|electorate=39,941,192
|map=Référendum 2000 - Résultats par département.svg
|map_size=260
|map_division=[[Departments of France|department]]
|map_caption=Results by department (darker hue, higher percentage of "yes" vote)|mapcaption=Referendum results in each [[Departments of France|department]] (darker hue = higher percentage voted "yes")}}
{{Politics of France}}

A constitutional referendum was held in France on 24 September 2000.<ref name=DN>[[Dieter Nohlen]] & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p674 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref> The proposal  to reduce the [[mandate (politics)|mandate]] of the [[President of the French Republic|President]] from seven years to five years was approved by 73.2% of those who voted, but turnout was just 30.2%.<ref>Nohlen & Stöver, p687</ref>

==Background==
The idea of a five-year term was discussed during the French parliamentary session of 1848, but rejected in favor of a four-year term. A seven-year term was adopted in 1873 for what became the Third Republic. In 2000, [[Jacques Chirac]] led the campaign for the referendum reducing the President's term from seven to five years. After he was re-elected in 2002, his term ended in [[2007 French presidential election|2007]] rather than 2009. The aim of the ''quinquennat'' (five-year term) was for the legislative elections to follow the presidential election (as the [[2007 French presidential election|presidential election took place in April–May 2007]], while the [[2007 French legislative election|legislative election took place in June]]), providing similar electoral results and reducing the risk of [[cohabitation (government)|cohabitation]].

==Results==
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
!rowspan=2|Choice
!colspan=2|[[Metropolitan France]]
!colspan=2|Total
|-
!Votes
!%
!Votes
!%
|-
|align=left|For||7,372,976||73.2||7,407,697||73.2
|-
|align=left|Against||2,703,657||26.8||2,710,651||26.8
|-
|align=left|Invalid/blank votes||1,939,282||–||1,940,340||–
|-
|align=left|'''Total'''||'''12,015,915'''||'''100'''||'''12,058,688'''||'''100'''
|-
|align=left|Registered voters/turnout||39,631,063||30.3||39,941,192||30.2
|-
|align=left colspan=6|Source: Nohlen & Stöver
|}

==See also==
*[[Constitutional amendments under the Fifth French Republic]]
*[[Sexenio (Mexico)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090209223333/http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/depuis-1958/decisions-par-date/2000/resultats-referendum-2000/decision-resultats-referendum-2000-du-28-septembre-2000.485.html Proclamation of the results of the referendum of 24 September 2000], [[Constitutional Council of France]], 28 September 2000
*[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000766148&dateTexte=20090729 Decree 2000-655 of 12 July 2000], from the [[President of the French Republic|President of France]], submitting a constitutional amendment to referendum
*[https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,373235,00.html "French poll sounds alarm to political elite"]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', 26 September 2000

{{French elections}}

[[Category:Term limits]]
[[Category:2000 elections in France|Constitutional referendum]]
[[Category:2000 referendums|France]]
[[Category:Constitutional amendments]]
[[Category:Referendums in France]]
[[Category:Constitutional referendums in France]]
[[Category:September 2000 in France|Constitutional referendum]]

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