Referendum underway in Corsica

Corsicans were voting today on a historic referendum to give local officials more say in running the Mediterranean island, in an attempt to end years of violent attacks by separatists fighting French rule.

The national government scored a triumph going into the vote when French special police burst into a sheep farm on the island on Friday and captured a Corsican separatist who has long topped France’s most-wanted list.

French president Jacques Chirac has urged Corsica’s 190,000 voters to back the referendum.

In the latest opinion surveys, about 51 to 55% of Corsicans favoured the reform.