Aftermath: France's rejection of the European constitutional treaty will claim its first victim today, when prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin officially resigns.
Mr Raffarin presided over his last cabinet meeting yesterday morning, then spent half an hour with President Jacques Chirac. French television filmed Mr Raffarin's staff packing cardboard boxes and ministerial delegations arriving on farewell visits.
Mr Chirac will go on TV tonight to explain his choice of a new prime minister. Impulsive interior minister Dominique de Villepin, often described as "dashing" by wire agencies, is the president's first choice.
But Mr Chirac's inner circle are said to be advising against Mr de Villepin's appointment. The size of the No vote - almost 55 per cent - necessitates "electro-shock therapy", say the president's advisers. The tall, aristocratic Mr de Villepin too much embodies the ancien regime that No voters want to topple.
UMP party head Nicolas Sarkozy, who intends to become France's next president, has let it be known Mr de Villepin's appointment would be a "declaration of war" by Mr Chirac. Mr Sarkozy spent over an hour with the president yesterday and is also being considered for the prime minister's job.
Mr Chirac dreads another antagonistic cohabitation like the five years he endured with socialist Lionel Jospin. But he may hope that by conferring an impossible mission on Mr Sarkozy, the younger man would burn up his energy and popularity before Mr Chirac's term ends in 22 months.
If Mr Chirac is unable to decide between Mr de Villepin and Mr Sarkozy, the third obvious choice would be defence minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. She too called on him at the Élysée yesterday, as did two lesser hopefuls: social affairs minister Jean-Louis Borloo and health minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
Between eight appointments with centre-right politicians, Mr Chirac telephoned the German, British and Spanish heads of government to reassure them that France still intended to fulfil its role in Europe. Spanish prime minister José Luis Zapatero told Mr Chirac that France's rejection of the treaty would be overcome, but the ratification process must continue. Prime Minister Tony Blair is reportedly hoping to wriggle out of his commitment to hold a referendum in Britain.
During the referendum campaign, the TV interview (or in Mr Chirac's case, the televised speech) was confirmed as French politicians' favoured Orwellian, means of communication. Laurent Fabius, the former prime minister and deputy head of the socialists who led the left-wing No, did not attend a single rally but spoke often on radio and TV.
Mr Fabius reserved his reaction to the victory of the No for last night's main evening news programme. Yesterday, Socialist Party leader François Hollande said he had no intention of giving up control of the party and that Mr Fabius had committed a "serious act" by ignoring the party's support for the treaty.
The referendum results have unleashed what the director of Libération newspaper Serge July called "an epidemic of populism". Looking cheerful and relaxed on TV last night, Mr Fabius repeatedly referred to "the popular will for change".
People, popular and change are the political buzz words since the referendum result. By sweeping away Mr Chirac and Mr Jospin, it also left the stage free for Mr Sarkozy and Mr Fabius, who are shaping up to fight one another for the presidency in 2007. Both men speak of the necessity of change.
The consensus among French politicians that nothing must change may have finally broken.
Mr Fabius said Mr Chirac now had a mandate to renegotiate the EU treaty on behalf of the French people. "We mustn't be arrogant but the popular will of the French people must be respected." It was important not to get things backwards, he added.
"It was not the sovereign decision of the French that started the crisis - it was the European crisis that brought on the No."
Other leaders of the No campaign have called on Mr Chirac to resign. Mr Fabius said there was no legal compunction for him to do so. "My fear is that the weakening of Jacques Chirac could become the weakening of France on the international stage. The interests of France must be defended."
