French President Emmanuel Macron arrived this Wednesday evening in Corsica for a two-day visit during which he could make announcements on possible autonomy for the island, which would remain to be engraved in stone in the Constitution.
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The President of the Republic, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and the Secretary of State for Veterans Patricia Miralles, began his visit Wednesday evening with a Republican dinner with local elected officials, in Ajaccio, before a very expected Thursday morning at the Corsican assembly. In addition to this political component, it will pay tribute to the Corsicans who resisted on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the island in 1943.
After the death in March 2022 of independence activist Yvan Colonna, attacked in Arles prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the assassination of prefect Erignac, and the violent demonstrations that followed on the island, the government had open discussions that could go to autonomy “. The presidential speech will therefore punctuate several months of exchanges between Corsican elected officials and state representatives.
Almost united, the nationalists adopted on July 5 an autonomy project pleading for legislative power in all areas except the sovereign, power which would be entrusted to the assembly of Corsica, where they occupy three-quarters of the seats. They also want resident status, co-officiality of the Corsican language and the inclusion of the notion of Corsican people in the Constitution. A second text from the right-wing minority opposition, which calls for a simple “ power of adaptation » French laws with Corsican specificities, was also transmitted to the president.
A complicated agreement to find
The head of state will need a three-fifths majority, and therefore the Republicans, in Congress (National Assembly and Senate combined) to reform the Constitution. Hence his request, beforehand, for a political agreement on the island between nationalists and the right-wing opposition. “ Everything is not yet stabilized ” but the “ positions are evolving in the direction of an acceptable rapprochement ” between “ Corsican interlocutors », hoped the Élysée on Tuesday. If an agreement is reached, “ the President of the Republic will certainly say that he is ready to consider an institutional evolution in accordance with the republican framework », Notes an advisor to Emmanuel Macron.
The Corsican right and the separatists of Core in Fronte, however, contradict the Elysian optimism. Paul-Felix Benedetti, leader of Core in Fronte, announced on Wednesday that he would not participate in the dinner with President Macron, judging these declarations from the presidency on a possible agreement “ contrary to the expectations of the Corsicans “. “ The only consensus to take into account is that of the deliberation, of 73% of the elected representatives of Corsica, of last July 5 », he insisted on X (ex-Twitter). “ There will be no agreement » between elected nationalist and right-wing islanders, added Jean-Martin Mondoloni, president of the right-wing opposition group, to AFP.
“ I would have liked them to have more esteem and consideration for this regional assembly that we are setting up, squeaks Pierre-Alain Nebbia, autonomous mayor of Lopigna in Corsica, who does not hope for much from this visit . We expect everything from these people, who are rather moderate. So, France, instead of having this attitude of mistrust, let it extend its hand to us by saying “we will trust each other” and not fight nationalism at all costs. »
The red lines set by the president a year ago also remain unchanged: maintaining Corsica in the Republic and refusing to create two categories of citizens, particularly for priority to employment.
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(With AFP)