Paris ? President Jacques Chirac moved swiftly Monday to shake up his government after a stinging referendum defeat of the European Union’s constitution, with his beleaguered prime minister expected to be the main victim.

The president’s office said he would announce “his decisions regarding the government” today and then address the nation in the evening. The National Assembly canceled a scheduled session today to await the announcement, chamber president Jean-Louis Debre said.

Chirac reached beyond French borders seeking to control damage from his voters’ defiant “non!” on Sunday, speaking with European leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Chirac sought to salvage what will probably be his last two years in power, his prime minister for the past three years, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, called together his aides to bid farewell. They packed boxes as Raffarin met with Chirac for 30 minutes.

The president also summoned possible replacements, including Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy, the head of Chirac’s governing party.

Chirac’s age – he turns 73 in November – always made it unlikely that he would seek a third term in 2007. Sunday’s vote could make it a certainty.