This is a moment when I desperately wish my novel MOTHER TONGUE: LINGUA CORSA was translated into French. And not just because Yvan Colonna wrote me from prison that he would translate it into Lingua Corsa if I could first get it translated into French. He must feel a great joy today and look forward to the march through many countries that will be held on his behalf (he continues to protest his innocence in the 1998 assassination of Claude Erignac) after the first of the year.

But for all Corsicans who read English and are Nationalist supporters, please consider celebrating your victory with me by reading my suspense novel about the Nationalist movement, set in 1996 at the time of the attack on Bordeaux and many other acts of defiance by the FLNC.

I think you can get the gist of the story from the TRAILER I made for the novel. You can find the trailer, the opening chapter, a synopsis in the best French I can muster, an excerpt about the mazzeri, and read about my initial visit to Corsica in 1963 when my imagination was completely captured by the island’s rugged beauty, compelling politics, and courageous people, who have now found success at the ballot box after decades of marches and acts of separatist violence.

The information below is from report below posted by Europe1.fr on December 13th:

FB video of election celebration:

This Sunday, December 13^th, the Nationalist party, led by Gilbert Simeoni, won a historic victory in the Corsican regional elections with 37% of the vote compared to 28.9% for leftist Paul Giacobbi and 25.4% for the candidate on the right. The FN (the Front National radical far right party) had below 10% (8.7%) of the vote even though it was suprisingly successful in many areas of mainland France.

“It is the victory for Corsica and for all Corsicans,” said the nationalist leader Gilles Simeoni, as he announced the results. His victory was hailed with shouts and chants of thousands of supporters and sympathizers waving the white Corsican Moor’s head flag in the streets of Ajaccio, Bastia and other cities on the island.

Dedicating this victory to the “prisoners and those still pursued”, separatist leader Jean-Guy Talamoni said that “it took a long walk of 40 years to get here.” “We will be elected by all of our people,” added Talamoni, stressing that “Corsica is not a single French administrative district, but one country, one nation, one people”.

French report from Europe1.fr:

La liste emmenée par Gilbert Simeoni remporte 37% des voix contre 28,9% au divers gauche Paul Giacobbi et 25,4% à la droite. Le FN est en dessous des 10% (8,7%)

Les nationalistes ont remporté dimanche une victoire historique aux élections territoriales en Corse, battant nettement la gauche sortante et la droite victime de ses divisions. La liste “Per a Corsica” (Pour la Corse), issue de la fusion au second tour des autonomistes (17,62% au 1er tour) et des indépendantistes (7,72%), a obtenu 35,50% des voix. Les nationalistes devancent nettement la gauche conduite par le président DVG sortant de l’exécutif territorial Paul Giacobbi (28,76%), député de Haute-Corse, et la droite emmenée par l’ancien ministre José Rossi (26,69%).

“Nous serons les élus de l’ensemble de notre peuple”. “C’est la victoire de la Corse et de tous les Corses”, a déclaré le chef de file nationaliste Giles Simeoni, à l’annonce des résultats. Sa victoire a été acclamée par les cris et les chants de milliers de partisans et sympathisants agitant des drapeaux corses blancs à tête de Maure dans les rues d’Ajaccio, de Bastia et des autres villes de l’île.

Dédiant cette victoire aux “prisonniers et aux recherchés”, le dirigeant indépendantiste Jean-Guy Talamoni a déclaré qu'”il a fallu une longue marche de 40 ans pour en arriver là”. “Nous serons les élus de l’ensemble de notre peuple”, a ajouté Talamoni, soulignant que “la Corse n’est pas une simple circonscription administrative française, mais un pays, une nation, un peuple”.