French EU vote battle nears end

Leaders from Germany and Spain will be attending French Socialist Party rallies calling for a "Yes" vote.

But leading Socialist dissidents will join Communists and union leaders in Paris to urge people to vote "No".

President Jacques Chirac went on TV on Thursday to call on the French to defy opinion polls and support the charter.

He said the vote was vital for the "future of France and the future of Europe".

The French president urged voters not to use the referendum as a vote against the centre-right government.

He tried to calm fears of an attack on France's social model and gave an assurance that the people would be consulted in a referendum over whether to allow Turkey entry to the EU.

The latest opinion poll, by TNS Sofres-Unilog, shows the "No" camp on 54 percent, with "Yes" on 46 percent.

Leaders from both Chirac's centre-right UMP party and the centre-left Socialist party are urging voters to support the proposed constitution.

In the northern city of Lille, the head of the Socialist party Francois Hollande will be joined by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

And German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is due to take part in a similar meeting in the southern city of Toulouse.

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris says politicians are far from certain that they will be able to shift public opinion on a vote which has divided France.

Leading Socialist dissidents, including former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius and MP Jean-Luc Melenchon, have urged voters to turn out in force in Sunday's referendum.