Luxembourg prepared Saturday to go to the polls on the eve of a referendum over the EU's constitution in what is expected to be a tight contest that could either give the beleaguered charter a jolt of life or put it out of its misery.
But the vote will also decide the political future of the Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who has vowed to step down if the country votes against the constitution.
The vote will be the first time that the constitution has been put to an electorate for approval since France and the Netherlands rejected it in referendums a little over a month ago.
The steady rise of the "no" vote in polls caught the political class off guard in Luxembourg, which traditionally has been a staunchly pro-EU country.
Although a "yes" vote would do little more than offer a show support in trying times for the constitution, a "no" vote would all but kill it off in its present form.
Speaking Friday night at a final campaign meeting, Juncker admitted the vote would be close and voiced unease about the likelihood the "yes" camp would win.
"I cannot say that I am confident. I remain concerned about the Luxembourg people's willingness to say 'yes'," Juncker said upon arrival at the meeting, organised by his Christian Social party, at this village near Luxembourg city.
"If they say 'no'. then the constitution will be buried. But I hope that we can revive it," added Juncker, Europe's longest-serving head of government.
In front of hundreds of EU treaty supporters Juncker, whose country has just finished its six-month EU presidency, extolled the advantages to Luxembourg of its place at the heart of the European bloc.
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