The French state is in favour of “going as far as autonomy” for Corsica, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Wednesday (16 March). Most presidential candidates, apart from those on the far-right, said they were in favour of the move. EURACTIV France reports.
Corsica has been hit by violent protests in the past two weeks, as protestors demand greater autonomy of Corsica in relation to mainland France and the transfer of Corsican prisoners from the mainland to the island.
The protests were sparked by news of an assault in prison on Yvan Colonna, a man who was arrested in 1998 for the assassination of Ajaccio prefect Claude Érignac at a time when tensions between Corsican independents and the state authorities were high.
Clashes with police have so far been brutal. On 13 March in Bastia, more than 100 people, including police, were injured during a protest.
In the hope of calming the violence, Darmanin told the regional daily Corse Matin in an interview published Wednesday that dialogue between regional and state authorities was possible and that it could lead to granting Corsica autonomy. Yet, one of the necessary conditions would be a “return to calm”, he added.
Granting Corsica autonomy would involve extending the regional executive’s competences and powers by reducing state control over the island without Corsica being separated from France – similar to the model applied to some overseas collectivities.
Presidential candidates on Corsican autonomy
The debate is not new in France, as some of the presidential candidates in the race have already pointed out. Bringing it up and using the term “autonomy” less than a month before the first election round on 10 April is even seen as electoral manoeuvring. Socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo even called the move “irresponsible” despite being in favour of giving more powers to the Corsican executive.
Green candidate Yannick Jadot criticised the delay of this announcement, judging that “it should have been done since the start” of French President Emmanuel Macron’s term. “Full autonomy” is the only to find a “peaceful relationship between the French state, France and Corsica”, he added.
Radical-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said in December that he favoured autonomy based on the French Polynesia model “if [Corsica] asks for it” because of the demands of its inhabitants and the island nature of the territory.
Right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse, for her part, has accused the government of reacting on the spur of the moment and for being “ready to give in” to violence. Pécresse also warned against the risk of “dismantling” the republican framework. She advocates for the island’s autonomy coupled with “performance indicators” which will also guarantee a better quality of services provided to Corsicans.
Unlike other candidates, those of the national-sovereignist bloc have condemned the government proposal. Far-right candidate Éric Zemmour has called the proposal “electoral” and said that “Corsican identity […] is compatible with French pride” and that he would “re-establish pride in identity everywhere”.
Julien Odoul, spokesperson for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen of Rassemblement National told EURACTIV France that Macron wants to “sell-off France”, which he claims is “one and indivisible”.
Odoul also criticised the outgoing president for “negotiating with Corsican nationalists” in reference to the ongoing negotiations between Macron and the Corsican executive with the view to obtaining support prior to the second election round, as the weekly Canard enchaîné recently revealed. “Cynical clientelism”, according to Le Pen.
Interviewed by France Info Wednesday morning, the president of the Corsican executive council Gilles Simeoni recalled the almost 70% of Corsican voters who voted “in favour of a nationalist list” in the last territorial elections. He wants Corsica to have a status in which regalian competences remain in the hands of the state, but that “in a certain number of strategic sectors, the competence [be] transferred by right to the Corsican collectivity”.
Macron's rivals bemoan lack of debate ahead of first election round
With the presidential elections less than a month away, a proper debate between candidates is yet to occur, with some even refusing to do so before the first round of voting. EURACTIV France reports.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
Source: euractiv.com
