Saturday 3 March 2012

Separatist Movements in France

Alsace d'abord

Alsace d'abord (ADA) (English: Alsace First, Alemannisch:Elsass Zuerst) is a political party seeking autonomy for Alsace in France.

The party is considered to be a far-right party by most observers, due to its strong stance against immigration, its opposition to Turkish entry into the European Union and its affirmation of an Alsatian national identity. The party is opposed to French centralizing Jacobin attitudes and favours decentralization, fiscal and political autonomy for Alsace, and bilingualism in the region (Alsatian and French). It is often compared to the stronger Lega Nord in Italy.

In the French regional elections, 2004, the party won 9.42% of the vote but failed to win seats. It had 9 seats in the Alsace regional council from 1998 to 2004 due to an electoral system more favourable to smaller parties than the current system, adopted in 2003. The party has one seat in the Haut-Rhin general council, held by Christian Chaton in the canton of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.

The leader of ADA is Jacques Cordonnier, who replaced Robert Spieler in 2008. Spieler had been a National Front deputy in the French National Assembly between 1986 and 1988.

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