Corsican territorial election, 2017

Last updated
Corsican territorial election, 2017
Flag of Corsica.svg
←  2015 3 December 2017 (first round)
10 December 2017 (second round)		2021 →
63 seats in the Corsican Assembly
32 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 52.10% Decrease2.svg7.56% (first round)
52.55% Decrease2.svg14.48% (second round)

  First party Second party Third party
  CPMR Islands Commission Annual General Meeting, Gozo, Malta (09 March 2017) (33413858805) (cropped).jpg No image.svgNo image.svg
Leader Gilles Simeoni Jean-Martin Mondoloni Jean-Charles Orsucci
Party PaC (FC–CL) Regionalist right REM
Last election 24 seats 0 seats 0 seats
Seats before 24 0 0
Seats after 41 10 6
Seat changeIncrease2.svg17Increase2.svg10Increase2.svg6
1st round
%		 54,212
45.36%		 17,891
14.97%		 13,455
11.26%
2nd round
%		 67,253
56.46%		 21,784
18.29%		 15,080
12.66%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Valérie Bozzi Paul-Félix Benedetti Jacques Casamarta
Party DVD (LR support) Rinnovu CI–PCF
Last election 11 seats 0 seats Prima a Corsica
Seats before 11 0 3
Seats after 6 0 0
Seat changeDecrease2.svg5Steady2.svgDecrease2.svg3
1st round
%		 15,265
12.77%		 7,996
6.69%		 6,787
5.68%
2nd round
%		 14,990
12.59%		Eliminated
(no alliance)		Eliminated
(no alliance)
  Seventh party
 
Leader Charles Giacomi
Party FN
Last election 4 seats
Seats before 4
Seats after 0
Seat changeDecrease2.svg4
1st round
%		 3,917
3.28%
2nd round
%		Eliminated
President of the Executive Council before election

Gilles Simeoni
FC (PaC)

Elected President of the Executive Council

Gilles Simeoni
FC (PaC)

The 2017 Corsican territorial elections were held on 3 and 10 December 2017 to elect 63 members of the Corsican Assembly who in turn will determine the composition of the Executive Council of Corsica. The elections, held only two years after the 2015 territorial elections, were called as a result of the planned creation of a single collectivity within Corsica resulting from the mergers of two departments (Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud) and the existing territorial collectivity of Corsica.

Corsican Assembly

The Corsican Assembly is the unicameral legislative body of the territorial collectivity of Corsica. It has its seat at the Grand Hôtel d'Ajaccio et Continental, in the Corsican capital of Ajaccio. After the 2017 territorial elections, the assembly will be expanded from 51 to 63 seats, with the executive council expanding from 9 to 11 members.

A territorial collectivity is a chartered subdivision of France, with recognized governing authority. It is the generic name for any subdivision with an elective form of local government and local regulatory authority. The nature of a French territorial collectivity is set forth in Article 72 of the French constitution of 1958, which provides for local autonomy within limits prescribed by law.

Haute-Corse Department in Corsica, France

Haute-Corse is a former department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. It and the other Corsican department, Corse-du-Sud, merged on 1 January 2018 with the single collectivity of Corsica, with territorial elections coinciding with the dissolution of the separate councils. The people living in the former department are called "Northerners" (Supranacci).

Contents

The nationalist alliance Pè a Corsica between autonomist Femu a Corsica and separatist Corsica Libera won an outright majority of seats in the assembly under the list led by Gilles Simeoni.

Pè a Corsica organization

Pè a Corsica is a Corsican nationalist political party in France, which calls for more autonomy for Corsica. More specifically, it is a coalition of the two Corsican nationalist parties active on the island; that is, the moderately autonomist Femu a Corsica and the strongly committed separatist Corsica Libera (which won respectively 17,62% and 7,73% of the vote in the first round of the 2015 French regional elections. The party is led by the autonomist Gilles Simeoni. The alliance was renewed for the 2017 territorial election.

Corsica Libera is a left-wing separatist political party active in Corsica. It was founded in Corte in February 2009 by members of three nationalist parties, Corsica Nazione, Rinnovu and the Corsican Nationalist Alliance

Background

Territorial elections to elect the Corsican Assembly were held on 3 and 10 December as a result of the creation of a single collectivity replacing the existing departments of Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud and the existing territorial collectivity of Corsica on 1 January 2018. While the creation of a territorial collectivity was rejected by voters in Corsica in a 2003 referendum, [1] the 42 of 51 members of the Corsican Assembly voted in support of a proposal to create a single territorial collectivity on 12 December 2014, with the support of the national government. [2] The initiative was pushed by nationalists on the island, who won a majority of seats in the 2015 territorial elections, who argued that the division of Corsica into separate departments produced "nests of clientelism". [1]

Corse-du-Sud Department in Corsica, France

Corse-du-Sud is a former department of France consisting of the southern part of the island of Corsica. It and the other Corsican department, Haute-Corse, decided to merge with each other and the single collectivity of Corsica effective 1 January 2018, coinciding with territorial elections The people living in Corse-du-Sud are called "Southerners" (Suttanacci).

Corsican autonomy referendum, 2003

A Corsican autonomy referendum was held on 6 July 2003. Voters were asked whether or not they approved the restructuring of the system of administration on Corsica. Had the referendum been successful, the two départements on the island would have been abolished leaving only the Corsican Assembly which would be granted additional functions including some limited powers on raising and spending taxes. The suggestion was not approved, albeit by a very small margin. 51% voted against the proposal, with 49% supporting it. The difference between the yes and no vote was 2,190 votes.

While the duration of the term of the assembly is usually six years, the elections will be held early on the occasion of the creation of the single collectivity, with the territorial elections still planned for 2021. [1]

From 1 January 2018, the two departments will be dissolved, with the capital based in Ajaccio and an advisory "chamber of territories" in Bastia composed of local elected officials alongside the assembly. The assembly will expand from 51 to 63 members, with the executive council to expand from 9 to 11 members (including the president). [1]

Ajaccio Prefecture and commune in Corsica, France

Ajaccio is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the Collectivité territoriale de Corse. It is also the largest settlement on the island. Ajaccio is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 210 nautical miles (390 km) southeast of Marseille.

Bastia Prefecture and commune in Corsica, France

Bastia is a French commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the north-east of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the island after Ajaccio and is the capital of the Bagnaja region and of the department.

Electoral system

Unless a single list receives a majority of votes in the first round, a second round will be held, in which lists obtaining at least 7 percent of the overall vote in the first round will automatically advance, while those receiving between 5 and 7 percent will be offered the chance to merge with a list that received at least 7 percent of the vote. In the second round, the list receiving a plurality of votes will receive an 18% bonus representing 11 seats in the assembly, with the remaining seats allocated proportionally based on the vote percentage for each list. [1]

The newly elected assembly then appoints the members of the executive council by a first-past-the-post vote requiring an absolute majority, voting on a list of 11 individuals – the president and ten councilors to the president. [1]

Lists and candidates

List and composition List leader
Voir plus grand Valérie Bozzi
L'avenir, la Corse en commun – L'avvene, a Corsica in cummunu Jacques Casamarta
Pè a Corsica
 Gilles Simeoni
Andà Per Dumane ! Jean-Charles Orsucci
Front national – Rassemblement pour une Corse républicaine Charles Giacomi
Core in fronte Paul-Félix Benedetti
La voie de l'avenir, a strada di l'avvene Jean-Martin Mondoloni

Following the start of the official campaign on 20 November, [3] seven lists will be presented in Corsica, with the ecologist list of Jean-Francois Baccarelli, "A voce di a natura corsa", [4] suspended due to a lack of funds. [5] No list of the Socialist Party (PS) or Radical Party of the Left (PRG) will be presented due to the conviction and imprisonment of Paul Giacobbi for embezzlement of public funds in January 2017. [3]

The nationalist alliance between autonomist Femu a Corsica and separatist Corsica Libera, Pè a Corsica, was renewed for the 2017 elections under Gilles Simeoni, but did not directly address the question of independence. A second nationalist list, "Core in fronte" representing Rinnovu, was presented by Paul-Félix Benedetti, supporting a self-determination referendum to restore an independent Corsican state and critical of a disorderly "mafia society" on the island. While Benedetti proposed an alliance with Pé a Corsica, Simeoni rejected the idea. [3] Jean-Charles Orsucci obtained the nomination of La République En Marche! (REM), [5] while the National Front (FN) presented a list, "Rassemblement pour une Corse républicaine", led by Charles Giacomi. [1] Two opposing lists on the right failed to receive the nomination of The Republicans (LR). Valérie Bozzi, LR mayor of Grosseto-Prugna-Porticcio, leads the list "Voir plus grand", [6] with the unofficial support of the party, [7] while Jean-Martin Mondoloni leads a regionalist right list, "La voie de l'avenir, a strada di l'avvene". [8] "La Corse Insoumise", supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, allied with the French Communist Party (PCF) under the list "L'avenir, la Corse en commun – L'avvene, a Corsica in cummunu"; [9] however, the list lacks the support of La France Insoumise, with Mélenchon denouncing any alliance with the PCF. [3]

After the first round, Jacques Casamarta announced that his list would not join an alliance in order to compete in the second round. [10] Paul-Félix Benedetti, leader of Rinnovu, also ruled out any alliance with Pé a Corsica, as he had during the campaign. [11] Jean-Charles Orsucci, leader of the "Andà Per Dumane !" list, rejected an alliance against the nationalists. Though Jean-Martin Mondoloni and Valérie Bozzi, the leaders of the two lists on the right, made contact the evening of the election, [12] an alliance was considered unlikely, given the degree of the nationalists' success in the first round. [13] Mondolini stated the following day that the two lists would not merge, meaning that four lists contested the second round. [14]

Results

Corsican Assembly 2017.svg
Leader List First round Second round Seats
Votes% Votes% Seats%
Gilles Simeoni PaC (FC–CL)54,212 45.3667,25356.464165.08
Jean-Martin Mondoloni Regionalist right 17,891 14.9721,784 18.29 10 15.87
Jean-Charles Orsucci REM 13,455 11.2615,080 12.66 6 9.52
Valérie Bozzi DVD (LR support)15,265 12.7714,990 12.59 6 9.52
Paul-Félix Benedetti Rinnovu 7,996 6.69
Jacques CasamartaCI–PCF 6,787 5.68
Charles Giacomi FN 3,917 3.28
Total119,523 100.00119,107 100.00 63 100.00
Valid votes119,523 97.91119,107 96.75
Blank votes1,251 1.022,079 1.69
Null votes1,301 1.071,923 1.56
Turnout122,075 52.10123,109 52.55
Abstentions112,213 47.90111,180 47.45
Registered voters234,288234,289
Source: Ministry of the Interior (first round), Ministry of the Interior (second round)

Related Research Articles

Radical Party of the Left political party

The Radical Party of the Left is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socialist Party. After the 2017 presidential and legislative elections, negotiations to merge the PRG with the Radical Party began and the refounding congress to reunite the parties into the Radical Movement was held on 9 and 10 December 2017. However, a faction of ex-PRG members, including its last president Sylvia Pinel, split from the Radical Movement in February 2019 due to its expected alliance with La République En Marche in the European elections and plans to resurrect the PRG.

Corsica Nazione is a Corsican nationalist party which aims to gain control over Corsica from France, regain national rights, and promote the Corsican national identity. The Corsican Nation have been struggling for a national identity since the Treaty of Versailles (1768) when they were annexed to France and claim to be repressed culturally, economically, and socially.

Party of the Corsican Nation political party

The Party of the Corsican Nation is a Corsican nationalist and autonomist political party on the French island of Corsica. It was founded in Corte in 2002 by members of three nationalist parties, Union of the Corsican People (UPC), A Scelta Nova and A Mossa Naziunale.

Émile Zuccarelli is a French politician from Corsica. He serves as honorary President of the Radical Party of the Left and is a former mayor of Bastia. Before his defeat in the French legislative election, 2007, he was deputy for Upper Corsica.

Jacqueline Gourault French politician

Jacqueline Gourault is a French politician.

Marcel Francisci was an alleged member of the Unione Corse who was accused of masterminding the French Connection drug network. As a young man, Francisci fought in World War II and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. Following the war, he developed a business empire that included casinos in Britain, France and Lebanon. Francisci served in the general council of the Corse-du-Sud (UDR) and was a member of the Civic Action Service (SAC), a Gaullist militia. He was assassinated in Paris in 1982.

Corsican nationalism

Corsican nationalism is a nationalist movement in Corsica, France, active since the 1960s, that advocates more autonomy for the island, if not outright independence.

Corsican donkey

The Corsican Donkey, French: Âne corse, Corsican: U sumeru corsu, is a breed of domestic donkey from the Mediterranean island of Corsica, a région and territorial collectivity of France. It is not recognised by the Ministère de l'agriculture, de l'agroalimentaire et de la forêt, the French ministry of agriculture, or by the Haras Nationaux, the French national stud; nor is it reported to the DAD-IS database of the FAO. Its numbers have fallen alarmingly; two associations are seeking its official recognition as a breed.

2017 French legislative election

Legislative elections were held on 11 and 18 June 2017 to elect the 577 members of the 15th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic. They followed the two-round presidential election won by Emmanuel Macron. The centrist party he founded in 2016, La République En Marche! (REM), led an alliance with the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem); together, the two parties won 350 of the 577 seats – a substantial majority – in the National Assembly, including an outright majority of 308 seats for REM. The Socialist Party (PS) was reduced to 30 seats and the Republicans (LR) reduced to 112 seats, and both parties' allies also suffered from a marked drop in support; these were the lowest-ever scores for the centre-left and centre-right in the legislative elections. The movement founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, la France Insoumise (FI), secured 17 seats, enough for a group in the National Assembly. Among other major parties, the French Communist Party (PCF) secured ten and the National Front (FN) obtained eight seats. Both rounds of the legislative election were marked by record low turnout.

The 2015 Corsican protests were a series of marches by several hundred Corsican nationalists that began on 25 December, in Ajaccio, capital of Corsica. During the initial demonstrations, a Muslim prayer hall was burned down and Qur'ans were set alight. Further protests were organised after the initial march despite a government ban on protests until 4 January 2016. The protesters claimed to be acting in revenge for an incident that occurred the day prior when firefighters and police were assaulted in the neighbourhood of Jardins de l'Empereur; however, outside observers labeled the ensuing riots as anti-Arab and anti-Muslim. The Corsican nationalist politicians have claimed their view does not legitimise xenophobia, blaming the protest on French nationalism instead. Scholarly opinions on this claim are divided.

La France Insoumise French political movement

La France insoumise ([la fʁɑ̃s ɛ̃.su.miz]; variously translated as "Unbowed France", "Unsubmissive France", or "Untamed France" is a democratic socialist, left-wing populist political party in France, launched on 10 February 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then Member of the European Parliament and former co-president of the Left Party. It aims to implement the ecosocialist programme L'Avenir en commun.

The La France Insoumise group is a parliamentary group in the National Assembly including representatives of La France Insoumise (FI) after the 2017 legislative elections.

Marie-Jeanne Bozzi was a Corsican local politician and convicted criminal who was assassinated in 2011.

Edmond Simeoni French politician

Edmond Simeoni was a Corsican politician and nationalist. He was the brother of Max Simeoni, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1989 to 1994 and father of Gilles Simeoni.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morgane Rubetti (1 December 2017). "Corse : cinq questions pour comprendre les élections territoriales". Le Figaro. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Nouvelle organisation territoriale : la Corse prend de l'avance". Le Parisien. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ludovic Galtier (2 December 2017). "Élections territoriales en Corse : ce qu'il faut savoir avant le scrutin du 3 décembre". RTL. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Liste des candidatures pour le premier tour de l'élection des conseillers à l'assemblée de Corse du 03 décembre 2017". Ministère de l'Intérieur. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 Margaux Baralon (1 December 2017). "Les élections territoriales, un scrutin décisif pour la Corse". Europe 1. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Territoriales – Entretien avec Valérie Bozzi, "Voir plus grand"". France 3 Corse ViaStella. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Antoine Albertini (3 December 2017). "Elections territoriales en Corse : 17 % des inscrits sont allés voter à midi". Le Monde. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Territoriales - Jean-Martin Mondoloni à Calvi insiste sur la refonte de l'aménagement du territoire". France 3 Corse ViaStella. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Territoriales – Le PCF et la Corse insoumise en meeting". France 3 Corse ViaStella. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  10. ↑ Vincent Marcelli (3 December 2017). "Jacques Casamarta (A Corsica in cumunu) : "Nous ne sommes pas dans le renoncement"". Corse Net Infos. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Percée nationaliste en Corse : "Nous voulons construire une île émancipée"". L'Obs. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Élections territoriales en Corse: les nationalistes largement en tête au premier tour". BFM TV. Agence France-Presse. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Territoriales : la droite insulaire en perte de leadership". France 3 Corse ViaStella. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "4 listes pour le second tour des territoriales". France 3 Corse ViaStella. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.