The key players in France's EU constitution campaign

PARIS - French voters go to the polls Sunday for a referendum on the European Union's first constitution, with the "no" camp holding a slight edge in the final days before ballots are cast.
The following is a list of the key players in the hard-fought campaign, which has seen the emergence of some unexpected political alliances:

THE YES CAMP

Jacques Chirac: The 72-year-old French president, rather than seeing the controversial EU constitution passed by parliamentary vote, called the May 29 referendum. His political legacy -- and the viability of a possible third bid for the presidency in 2007 -- are riding on the outcome of Sunday's vote. He has warned that France could become the "black sheep" of the European Union and lose its influence within the bloc should voters reject the treaty.

Francois Hollande: The leader of the opposition Socialist party (PS) is campaigning alongside Chirac for the EU treaty. The PS has been ripped apart by debate over the constitution. Although the 50-year-old Hollande saw his party officially approve the treaty, a group of dissidents led by former Socialist prime minister Laurent Fabius are in the "no" camp. Should the "no" camp prevail on Sunday, Hollande's political future could be in doubt.

Nicolas Sarkozy: The charismatic former finance minister took over as leader of Chirac's ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) six months ago. The 50-year-old Sarkozy is the current president's arch-rival, and has made no secret of his wish to replace Chirac at the Elysee. He raised eyebrows this week when he reportedly said the campaign was "lost".

Lionel Jospin: The 67-year-old former Socialist prime minister, who suffered a humiliating debate in the first round of the 2002 presidential election, made a well-received comeback during the campaign for the EU constitution. With pollsters agreeing that left-leaning voters will be the key on Sunday, Jospin is seen as an elder statesman capable of rallying swing voters to the "yes" camp.

Other treaty supporters:

-- The Union for French Democracy, the junior partner in the ruling coalition
-- The Greens party, led by Yann Wehrling
-- France's main trade unions

THE NO CAMP

Laurent Fabius: Fabius, a former Socialist prime minister like Jospin, created a deep rift in the PS when he declared his opposition to the EU constitution. The 58-year-old Fabius, the current number two in the party, has thinly-veiled presidential ambitions, and many observers believe that he joined the "no" camp to position himself ahead of the 2007 presidential race.

Philippe de Villiers: The 56-year-old aristocrat is the leader of the Catholic-leaning, anti-European, nationalist Movement for France (MPF). Villiers has usurped far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's position as the country's nationalist ideologue, and has built his "no" campaign on French fears of Turkey's eventual membership of the EU.

Jean-Marie Le Pen: The 77-year-old leader of the far-right National Front (FN), Le Pen stunned France when he won through to the second round of the 2002 presidential election, defeating Jospin. He has kept a low profile during the EU campaign, especially since his May 1 rally -- billed as a huge gathering of the "no" camp -- only drew a few thousand supporters.

Other treaty opponents:

The Communist party (PCF), led by Marie-George Buffet
The far-left Communist Revolutionary League (LCR) of Olivier Besancenot
A handful of UMP dissidents, like lawmaker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan