Should the Loire-Atlantique department be attached to the Brittany region? The city of Nantes, for its part, set up a body on Friday, May 5, bringing together around twenty communities, who want to request the holding of a referendum on this question.
The first initiative of this body was to send a letter to the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, stating that “citizens are now asking to be able to express themselves on the organization of the territories in which they live”. “Our communities support this civic demand. Today, a democratic outlet seems essential to us, “add the signatories, including the Regional Council of Brittany, large cities such as Nantes, Lorient or Vannes, but also smaller municipalities, such as Hennebont, in Morbihan.
The Loire-Atlantique department is part of the Pays de la Loire region, but several associations and elected officials have long campaigned for its attachment to the Brittany region, citing cultural and historical reasons.
“The city of Nantes has set up a body which federates communities of various demographic sizes” which “aims to be the interlocutor of the State to request a referendum, to ensure that it is properly held, of the correct perimeter , and also the fact that the choice of citizens will be truly respected, “explained Florian Le Teuff, deputy mayor of Nantes in charge of Breton issues.
A campaign promise
The creation of this body “aiming to engage in consultation with the State to obtain a referendum” was a campaign promise during the municipal elections of 2020, recalled Mr. Le Teuff, after a press briefing held symbolically in the enclosure of the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, in Nantes.
“After decades of endless debate on this subject (…), we realize that we had thought of everything, except to ask the inhabitants what they think of it, so that is the goal of our approach”, underlined Mr. Le Teuff.
In the letter addressed to Ms. Borne, it is recalled that “in 2018, 105,000 citizens of Loire-Atlantique – 10% of the electorate – signed a petition asking to be able to vote on the question of the administrative attachment of their department to the region of Brittany”.