PARIS: Even the dead are having a say in France's heated debate over whether to ratify the first European Union constitution.

The voices of great leaders from France's past-Francois Mitterrand and Charles de Gaulle - are being summoned by politicians of both camps as France debates whether to say "yes" or "no" to the historic charter in a widely watched May 29 referendum.

"It's part of France's electoral folklore," explains Philippe Tronquoy of government researcher and publisher Documentation Francaise. "It's considered quite fair to rally their great ancestors."

Polls show France is sharply divided over whether to ratify the constitution, which must be approved by all 25 EU nations to take effect. Campaigners for both sides are struggling to win over the public in the countdown to the vote.

As for the question: Which way would the Socialist Mitterrand and the conservative de Gaulle vote?-it depends whom you ask. Mitter¬rand, president from 1981 to 1995, is remembered as a devoted builder of the European Union who brought France closer to Germany as they established themselves as pillars of the EU.

Socialist Party leader Fran¬cois Hollande noted that "every time the ex-President had to vote on a European treaty, he was proud to have ratified it."

But the "no" camp also looks to Mitterrand for support."It is because I remain faithful to Francois Mitterrand that I will vote 'no,"' Socialist Senator Michel Charasse told France-2 television, adding that the late president "would surely never have negotiated the treaty the way it is."

And even members of Mitterrand's own politically active family are divided on the subject. Mitterand's widow, Danielle, told France-2 that she would vote "no."

"I'm standing up against the idea that those who vote 'no' are anti-European," said the 80-year-old former First Lady. Mrs. Mitterrand said she based her decision on a text about Europe written by her husband, who died in 1996 of prostate cancer. Separately, the younger of the Mitterrands' two sons, Gilbert, partook in a recent Socialist rally for the "yes" vote held in memory of his father.

While mother and son differ over how to vote on the treaty, he said it was unethical to bring the voice of his deceased father into the debate: "You can't make people speak if they have passed away, nobody has the right to do that."

Opinion is similarly divided over what the outspoken Gen. De Gaulle-who led France's resistance during World War II and was president from 1959 to 1969-would have to say.

"De Gaulle is the great figure of the second half of the 20th century," Tronquoy said of the leader who worked toward applying newly formed ideals of the European Community - the grouping that was to become the EU-while vigorously defending the sovereignty of member states. "He often appears in political campaigns."

President Jacques Chirac used the unveiling of a statue of de Gaulle in Moscow earlier this month to make a pitch for the "yes" vote.

Other Gaullists are firmly in the "no" camp.

"We're in a much better position to speak in the name of Gen. De Gaulle than these Chirac supporters who don't have a past [with him]," said Pierre Lefranc, a former World War II resistance fighter who served as the head of de Gaulle's Cabinet.

De Gaulle resigned after the French rejected a 1969 referendum that he supported.

"If the French people tell him 'no,' we can imagine that he'll have problems with his conscience," Lefranc told reporters.

Chirac has already addressed the matter, saying he will not step down if France rejects the constitution.