Institutional history
Before 1982
Annexed to France in 1768, Corsica was integrated into the French administrative organization during the Revolution by a decree of 30. [1] . The department of Corsica was created on 4 March 1790 . From 1796 to 1811, Corsica was divided into two departments (Liamone and Golo).
In 1960, with the creation of regional action constituencies, Corsica was part of the Provence-Côte d'Azur-Corsica region. A decree of 9 made Corsica a region, and then, on 1, the island was again divided into two departments: Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud [2] .
With the exception of the competences exercised by the territorial collectivity of Corsica and specific tax adaptations [3] , these departments are similar to other metropolitan departments.
Each is equipped with a general council elected by universal direct suffrage every six years. Each general council elects its president, who is the executive body of the department.
1982 Status
Following the decentralization laws, two laws establishing a "special status" for the Corsica region were adopted in 1982 [4] [5] . In a decision, the Constitutional Council validated the principle of the existence of a collectivity with a unique status [6] [7] .
Unlike other French regions, Corsica is equipped with the Corsican Assembly (and not a regional council) elected from 8 (the first regional elections were held in 1986 in other regions) by universal direct suffrage and by party-list proportional representation. The executive is entrusted to the president of the Assembly of Corsica [4] .
The Corsica region then exercises the competences of a French region but also has responsibilities in the areas of cultural affairs and local development, planning, it operates the railway network, and enters into agreements with the State on air and maritime transport. The Assembly of Corsica can also formulate opinions and recommendations to the Prime Minister on the island's public services [6] .
However, the full proportional system and the fact that 2,231 votes are sufficient for a list to obtain a seat make the Assembly difficult to govern. It was thus dissolved by the Council of Ministers in 1984 before a law of 10 modified its voting system to align with that of the regional councils [6] .
Joxe Status (1991)
In 1988, the Assembly of Corsica adopted a resolution affirming the existence of the Corsican people. This issue sparked new discussions about the island's status [6] .
In 1991, the Minister of the Interior Pierre Joxe had a new status for Corsica adopted. Drawing inspiration from the regime in place in French Polynesia [6] , the new law created a "territorial collectivity of Corsica", with a special status, in place of the region [8] :
- the Assembly of Corsica is composed of 51 members (instead of 61), and the party-list proportional representation is maintained, but a majority bonus of three seats is granted to the list that comes first;
- the executive is entrusted to an executive council, a collegial body distinct from the president of the Assembly, which can be overthrown by a motion of no confidence from the Assembly of Corsica;
- the territorial collectivity of Corsica receives new competences (education, audiovisual, culture, environment).
The first article of the adopted law states:
The French Republic guarantees to the living historical and cultural community that constitutes the Corsican people, a component of the French people, the rights to the preservation of its cultural identity and the defense of its specific economic and social interests. These rights, linked to insularity, are exercised in respect of national unity, within the framework of the Constitution, the laws of the Republic, and this status.
However, the Constitutional Council censured this article, considering it "contrary to the Constitution, which recognizes only the French people, composed of all French citizens without distinction of origin, race, or religion" [9] .
During the elections that followed, nationalist lists obtained 25% of the votes [10] .
Matignon Process
In the years following the adoption of the Joxe status, several laws granted the island a specific tax status [10] .
The nationalist movement organized violence, including between rival nationalist factions. In 1998, the prefect Claude Érignac was assassinated in the street in Ajaccio. His successor, Bernard Bonnet, launched a "clean hands" operation. The following year, he was implicated in the paillotes affair as attacks multiplied [10] .
The denunciation of violence by the nationalist parties represented in the Assembly of Corsica and the formation of a platform, Unita, to dialogue with the government enabled the opening of new discussions: the Matignon process [10] .
A new law was finally adopted in 2002 [11] . It strengthened the competences of the collectivity.
Collectivization
In 2003, the Constitution was amended to allow the organization of a local referendum on the evolution of territorial institutions. That same year, the Parliament adopted a law providing for such a consultation aimed at creating a single territorial collectivity replacing the current territorial collectivity and the two departments. This law was supported by the nationalist movements, but on 6, 51% of voters rejected the proposal [10] .
The law #2003-486 “organizing a consultation of Corsican voters on the modification of the institutional organization of Corsica” was promulgated. The proposed reform notably provided for the replacement of the territorial collectivity of Corsica and the two departments (Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud) with a single collectivity and the creation of two territorial councils, one in Haute-Corse and the other in Corse-du-Sud. It received the support of the nationalist movements [10] .
The single collectivity project was relaunched in 2015 through discussions between Corsican elected officials and the government. The Law on the new territorial organization of the Republic (NOTRe law) of 7 provided for the creation of a "collectivity of Corsica" on 1 in place of the current territorial collectivity and the two departments [12] .
During the 2017 presidential election, Emmanuel Macron achieved one of his lowest scores (18.48% of the votes in the first round and 51.48% in the second), suffering from the support of the Giacobbi radical left family, which led Haute-Corse until the last municipal elections and the judicial conviction of Paul Giacobbi earlier that year. In contrast, the autonomists led by Gilles Simeoni and the independentists led by Jean-Guy Talamoni benefited from the “degagist” wave and won three of the four legislative constituencies in the election held that same year [13]
Increasing autonomy
On 30, the Council of Ministers adopted the draft constitutional law on the autonomy status of Corsica within the French Republic. To be adopted, this constitutional reform must be voted on by the National Assembly, then the Senate, and then during their joint meeting in Congress. [14]
