The French National Assembly has approved a bill granting special autonomous status to the Mediterranean island of Corsica within the French Republic.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the vote saw 271 deputies in favor and 202 against. The bill advanced with the support of centrist and leftist political forces, as well as Corsican deputies.
Opposition to the measure was primarily led by the far-right National Rally and the right-wing Republicans party.
The proposed changes involve adding a new provision to the French Constitution, which recognizes Corsica—home to 356,000 residents—as a community with distinct historical, linguistic, and cultural characteristics. Furthermore, the bill empowers local authorities on the island to draft legislative initiatives in areas such as housing, the economy, and culture.
However, the approved document does not address all demands long championed by Corsican nationalists. Notably, it excludes the recognition of Corsicans as a separate legal or constitutional category and does not grant the Corsican language official status alongside French.
Gilles Simeoni, a key architect of the proposal and former head of the Corsican executive council, previously told Le Monde that rejecting the document would be viewed by islanders as a denial of democracy.
The bill still faces significant political hurdles. It will now be sent to the French Senate, the upper house of parliament, where the right-wing Republicans hold a majority. Senate President Gérard Larcher has been a vocal critic of the initiative. Opposition forces argue that the proposal undermines the principle of France as a unified and indivisible republic.
Should the bill pass the Senate, a final decision will be made during a joint session of both houses of parliament, requiring a three-fifths majority to pass.
Corsica, which has been part of France since 1769, has seen active nationalist movements since the 1960s, with many groups advocating for expanded autonomy or full independence from Paris.
