Brussels 23/4/02 , by Eva Blässar

Jacques Chirac might have got the most votes in the first round of the French presidential elections, but he did not get the headlines. The first runner-up did: Jean-Marie Le Pen, who took everybody with surprise by securing a place in the second round. The papers today call it everything from ‘disgrace to French democracy’ to ‘national dishonour’. Minorities in France now fear a far right-wing revival.

‘The situation is difficult, since there will be a second round with two candidates that are both opposed to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and to a modification of the Constitution in favour of these languages,’ says Tangi Louarn, spokesman of 'Freedom, Equality for our Languages', a coordinated group of representatives from over twenty regional and minority language organisations in France.

Earlier this month, the minority group presented the results of a survey conducted among the sixteen presidential candidates, asking them about their attitudes towards changing the French Constitution and ratifying the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Seven of the candidates where completely in favour of this, and one more candidate, Lionel Jospin, expressed his willingness to undertake changes although he did not directly fill in the questionnaire. Jospin, who was considered to be the main rival of Jacques Chirac, did however not make it to the second round.

‘Out of principle’, the minority group did not send the questionnaire to two of the candidates: Bruno Megret and Jean-Marie Le Pen, because of their far right-wing political convictions. ‘We did the wrong choice,’ Joan-Lois Blenet, also representing 'Freedom, Equality for our Languages', personally thinks today, but says that he doesn’t want to dramatize the outcome of the first round.

Tangi Louarn points out that Le Pen is against Europe and the euro, and promotes ultra-nationalist values. ‘We are against him because he is xenophobic and against all democratic principles that we defend,’ says Louarn.

‘We suppose that the right candidate will be selected in the end, but what will be important afterwards are the parliamentary elections,’ stresses Louarn, saying that if there is an opposition majority, this could lead to an institutional conflict.

In his response to the minority questionnaire, the current president - and also likely next president - Jacques Chirac stated that he is in favour of regional languages, but it is clear that he is not prepared to neither change the Constitution nor ratify the Charter.

‘Everybody says that they are in favour of regional languages - even the extremists - because they can’t say that they’re against them. But in reality they are,‘ says Tangi Louarn.

Although things aren’t looking good for regional and minority languages in France at the moment, its representatives don’t intend to give up their work. They are already planning further interventions, to demand a change to the Constitution and a ratification of the Charter. (EL)


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