The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a
regionalist political party in France
This article contains a list of political parties in France.
France has a multi-party political system: one in which the number of competing political parties is sufficiently large as to make it almost inevitable that in order to participate in ...
. Its aims include greater
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
for the
Occitania
Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...
region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
in 1987 through the union of different Occitanist movements (' etc.), of candidates to the 1986 regional elections and of various individuals.
The party's aims are:
* To set up a credible Occitanist political movement, independent of all other parties and struggling for Occitan self-government.
* To dis-alienate and raise the consciousness of the Occitan people.
* To make the Occitan question come out in the political field.
Electoral and political action
Since 1987, the Occitan Party has contested elections at all levels in different constituencies. In the
1997 parliamentary elections, the POC's best candidates polled 1.8% of the vote. Party members hold office in a few
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
, including
Saint-Hostien.
The Occitan Party takes part in economical or regional development struggles. Its members are active in struggles for the keeping of local jobs, against wholesale tourist commercialization, against the
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
industry, and for the preservation of Occitania's natural environment. They also take part in the defence of the
Occitan language
Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Ital ...
and identity.
The Party's paper, ''Occitània'', comes out every two months.
International relationships
The Occitan Party belongs to the ''
Fédération Régions et Peuples Solidaires'' federation which brings together different regionalist and nationalist political movements in the French state. The Occitan Party also belongs to the
European Free Alliance
The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and ethnic minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, ...
.
Internal organisation
Local or departmental committees are grouped in regional federations. The National Council brings together delegates from the different regional federations (the party's parliament). The National Bureau is elected every two years by a Congress that is open to every party member.
References
External links
* ''Occitània - VVAP'', BP 28, F- 81370 St Sulpici La Punta, the revue of the party (every two months).
*
Comity of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) area of the Partit OccitanComity of Montpellier (Herault) area of the Partit OccitanRegional Section Provence (Var) of the Partit OccitanRegional Section Provence (Bouches du Rhones and Vaucluse) of the Partit OccitanComity of Albi area (Tarn) of the Partit OccitanSection Cantal of the Partit Occitan
{{Members of the European Free Alliance
Occitan language
Social democratic parties in France
Political parties of minorities
European Free Alliance
Occitan nationalism
Left-wing nationalist parties
Political parties established in 1987
1987 establishments in France