Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin returned, Monday, March 21 on RTL, to the situation in Corsica – autonomy as well as demonstrations -, but also to the upcoming presidential election.
Back from Toulouse where he paid tribute to the victims of Mohammed Merah, Gérald Darmanin began the interview with the thorny Corsican question: “This institutional question is important but it is not the only one. Things, after my displacement, returned to a normal level. One hundred and thirty police officers and gendarmes were injured, public buildings burned down and six investigations were opened. The minister added that the discussions with the president of the island of beauty Gilles Simeoni had made it possible to find out “the truth about the vile aggression against Yvan Colonna but also the public service skills: waste, transport, job”, adding that “there are 40% of second homes so the Corsicans have trouble finding accommodation. »
On the calls to demonstrate soon, Gérald Darmanin made in the “at the same time”: “It is certain that some people want to show very loudly their support for a certain Corsican nationalism. That they exist is democracy, but that they turn into attacks on institutions is absolutely unacceptable. And autonomy in all this? What is that ? What additional skills will Corsica have? “The government of the Republic must hear that there are elections. Mr. Simeoni’s project is autonomy. He has been elected with a large majority twice […] There are statutes in the Republic where autonomy is great. In Polynesia for example […] Behind the word “autonomy”, you have to work and I started a year of discussions. You don’t have to have a romantic view of it. »
“President Larcher kind of forgot himself that day,” he said.
Will there be limits to this autonomy? “We put two red lines: first Corsica in the Republic and not two categories of citizens on the national territory. I have great confidence in President Simeoni. We do not share the same political opinions but I work with this legitimate and serious interlocutor. I suggested that from the first week of April we could meet. »
A discussion followed on the presidential election and more particularly abstention. As a reminder, it would be, according to Ifop figures, 29%, a record. Gérald Darmanin was skeptical of this rate, then declared: “What is certain is that the Covid crisis first, then Ukraine, monopolized a large part of the trade. I believe that the French are very attached to democracy and direct universal suffrage. I can only encourage everyone to express themselves in our great democracy. »
What about the words of Gérard Larcher, who questioned “the legitimacy of Emmanuel Macron” if he were to be elected without campaigning? “President Larcher somewhat forgot himself that day. He is a Republican, and this sentence is a form of disappointment from his candidate who does not break through in the polls. It was the bitterness of his camp that prevailed. “The minister also criticized the LR candidate:” No one is suing Madame Pécresse for having been elected with only 15% of the French because there was a big abstention in the regional elections. It is a President of the Region with whom we are discussing” slipping in passing that he does not “think that 70% of the people will not vote. »
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