Corsican autonomy party Femu a Corsica has proposed holding a referendum by the end of the year on recognising the Corsican people and granting the island legislative autonomy if negotiations with French authorities fail to resolve the crisis.
According to Report's European bureau reports, citing French media, the decision was taken at a meeting of the party's leadership on October 28.
"If we fail to break the deadlock in the coming days, we are ready to return to a vote (in a referendum) and have the people reaffirm our position," Femu a Corsica National Secretary François Martinetti was quoted as saying by Corse Net Infos.
The party has left the door open to resuming negotiations with Paris but insists that the key provisions of the original agreement be retained. These include granting the island legislative powers, constitutionally recognising the Corsican people, granting official status to the Corsican language and establishing a special resident status.
In the early hours of October 27, the French Senate rejected a constitutional reform bill providing for autonomous status for Corsica within the French Republic, with 181 votes against and 134 in favour.
Before the vote, senators substantially amended the document approved by the National Assembly in June, notably removing a provision recognising a distinct island community and reducing the powers envisaged for Corsica.
In response to the changes, Corsican nationalists announced their withdrawal from the so-called Beauvau process, negotiations between the French government and representatives of the island launched in 2022 to agree on its future institutional status.
The government said the rejection of the amended bill did not mean abandoning the principle of Corsican autonomy.
French Minister for Regional Planning and Decentralisation Françoise Gatel intends to hold further consultations with Corsican representatives and lawmakers to find wording that can secure support in both chambers of parliament.
The future of the reform therefore remains uncertain. Supporters of autonomy are open to resuming negotiations but warn that they may put the issue to a referendum if the political deadlock cannot be resolved.