Pyrénées Orientales residents to cast vote on name change
Three options are being submitted although a popular fourth has been controversially removed
Colours on the department's flag are reminiscent of its strong Catalan history
Maxim Studio/Shutterstock
Residents in Pyrénées Orientales will soon have their say over a potential name change for the department.
Votes will be cast by residents over the coming weeks, before the final request is made to France’s Conseil d’Etat.
A campaign to change the name has been spearheaded by departmental president Hermeline Malherbe, who made a referendum on a name change part of her 2021 election campaign promises.
“Many citizens mentioned the idea of having a department name more in line with our local, cultural identity,” she said to media outlet TF1.
Other arguments for a change include the name’s general ambiguity (translated to ‘eastern Pyrénées’).
The cultural identity in question is the department’s Catalan heritage, a distinctive feature of the area.
Many inhabitants of the area are bilingual in French and Catalan and road signs in both languages appear across some roads.
Capital Perpignan and the surrounding area was originally owned by the Catalan rulers to the south (Counts of Barcelona, the Kingdom of Aragon, etc), before becoming part of the united Spanish kingdom.
In 1659, the area was transferred to French control following the end of the Franco-Spanish war. It has remained in French hands ever since, but retains a strong Catalan identity.
Three names to choose from
Residents will be asked their opinion on the current name, which means ‘eastern Pyrénées’ alongside two alternatives – Pyrénées Méditerranée and Pyrénées Catalanes.
A fourth option, Pays Catalan, has been removed.
Originally the most popular in a 2024 poll (where it received 54% of the vote alongside the other three options) it has been taken out of the equation for legal reasons.
“The legal experts we consulted assure us that the name 'Pays Catalan’ will not be accepted by the Conseil d’Etat, primarily due to geographical limitations,” said Mrs Malherbe.
Some residents are angry over the decision to remove the option, and say they will boycott the process.
“For such an important consultation, there's no communication, no explanations,” said Jordi Vera, leader of the ‘Oui au Pays Catalan’ group, to TF1.
“Many won't vote... At some point, it's better to keep the current name and wait for a more opportune moment,” he added.
How to vote
Residents will be able to vote in two ways.
An online platform will be launched, with people logging in through FranceConnect to ensure only those living in the department have a say.
Alternatively, a paper ballot will be distributed through the department’s official magazine.
The online platform will launch before the end of June, and be open through July.
Residents should check the prefecture website and local news sources for final confirmation of the vote’s opening dates and official links.
Name changes are rare
First introduced in their modern form under Napoleon, departments have seen their borders change a number of times, but names have remained largely the same.
Even after border changes, historical names are often kept – indeed, the Var department is named after a river that no longer runs through it and is now found in the Alpes-Maritimes near Nice.
Only seven historically-existing departments have changed their name in roughly two hundred years.
The three most recent are the Basses-Pyrénées (becoming Pyrénées-Atlantiques in 1969), Basses-Alpes, (now Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 1970) et les Côtes-du-Nord (now Côtes-d’Armor, 1990).
