Polling stations opened for voting in French Guiana, the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off Canada's eastern coast. France's overseas possessions have some 1.425 million registered voters, a fraction of the total 42 million voters. Mainland France votes on Sunday. Results from the overseas territories, which also include French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean, will not be published until after the last mainland polling stations close at 2000 GMT (2100 BST) on Sunday evening.
One survey on Friday showed a sharp drop in the size of the majority opposing the treaty, giving a ray of hope for the "Yes" camp, led by President Jacques Chirac. But another showed an increase in opposition to the charter.
Nine countries have approved the charter. None has rejected it so far although polls show a majority oppose the treaty in France and the Netherlands, which holds a referendum on June 1. One French poll published on Friday showed 52 percent of people who have decided how to vote will reject the treaty. Another put the "No" camp on 56 percent. But at least one fifth of voters are still undecided, recent polls show. A poll on Saturday showed 57 percent of Dutch voters plan to vote "No". Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende urged voters not to reject the constitution, saying the reasons for many planned "No" votes had nothing to do with the treaty. "Are you against the (Dutch) cabinet, then in 2007 you can head to the ballot box. The euro and Turkey also have nothing to do with the constitution," he told De Telegraaf newspaper.
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