The President of the Republic announced the inclusion of Corsica in the constitution, in order to "build autonomy within the republic." The presidential speech, presented as a "historic moment," remains very vague regarding the implementation of such a project, which is not unanimously supported by the island's elected officials.

“A turning point,” “a new stage,” “a historic moment”… the choice of words revealed the expectations of Corsican elected officials, before the speech by the President of the Republic, who addressed them in Ajaccio on Thursday, September 28, in the morning. Emmanuel Macron, who arrived on the island the day before, officially for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Corsica, ended the speculation that had been fueling tensions for several days regarding the institutional future of the island.

"Let us have the courage to build autonomy for Corsica within the republic," the head of state declared to the assembly. He said that "he is in favor of recognizing the specific characteristics of the Corsican island community in the constitution, through a specific article, encompassing its historical, linguistic, and cultural identity," and added: "This is your desire, I share it," addressing the assembly, which was largely composed of elected officials from the autonomist party Femu and Corsica - of which the president of the island's executive council, Gilles Simeoni, is a member.

Inclusion in the Constitution
This inclusion of these "specificities" in the Constitution "neither against the state, nor without the state" should lead to "the possibility for the Corsican community to define standards for matters or skills transferred to it." This normative power would be exercised under the "control of the Council of State and the Executive Council of the island."

Greater space would also be given to the Corsican language, which, according to Emmanuel Macron, will be "better taught and placed at the center of the public space" through the introduction of a public education service promoting bilingualism.

While these statements, presented by Emmanuel Macron as "historic," were particularly anticipated, the interventions of Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, president of the Corsican Assembly, in the preamble, followed by the interventions of Gilles Simeoni – both of whom had two dinners with the head of state the previous day – left little room for doubt about the nature of the presidential announcements. Both elected officials had thus, before Emmanuel Macron's speech, sought to put forward arguments in favor of autonomy for the island, which, according to Gilles Simeoni, would be based on a "triple legitimacy: historical, democratic, and institutional," recalling that the Corsican Assembly had, on July 5th, voted by more than 75% in favor of autonomy.

Eighteen Months of Negotiations
They thus invited Emmanuel Macron to "write a new page for Corsica" and to satisfy the desires of "its youth, thirsting for recognition," as evidenced by the riots following the death of the nationalist activist Yvan Colonna in March 2022. These riots forced Gérald Darmanin – present alongside the head of state at the Corsican assembly – to quickly resume negotiations with the island's leaders.

In this regard, the Minister of the Interior, thanks to these exchanges, which lasted more than eighteen months, created a certain number of declarations preparing the ground and the ideas for the possibility of autonomy for the island, crystallizing decades of tension and confrontation between the state and activists for independence.

Emmanuel Macron gave the Corsican government and elected officials a six-month deadline to reach a "constitutional and organic text," which would then serve as the basis for a "revision of the constitution." This "new institutional phase" would allow Corsica to "preserve its soul and identity while remaining within the borders of the Republic."

Autonomy with Blurred Lines

Will the President of the Republic's speech bring the desired calm? Some are already criticizing the limited progress made by the presidential statements, which are seen as empty: "There is no positive response," Jean-Guy Talamoni, former president of the Corsican Assembly, reacted on Thursday, September 28th, seeing "nothing historical" in it. Regarding Emmanuel Macron's speech: "His remarks should be more open in form, but in reality, there is no positive reaction to the demands put forward by nationalists, and which today are supported by the vast majority of Corsicans," he added.

In addition to independence activists, Corsican elected officials, including communists, are pointing to the vagueness surrounding the implementation of this autonomy, which would also address the real everyday concerns of the population, such as "social progress," "the eradication of business and mafia pressure groups," "investment in industrial employment, agriculture, and fishing in order to reduce dependence on the single activity of tourism." So many demands have been made during these eighteen months of negotiations.

(L'Humanité/Zro)