Editing Languedoc-Roussillon (section)

==Politics==
{{See also|Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon}}[[Image:Arms of the French Region of Languedoc-Roussillon.svg|thumb|right|Unofficial coat of arms of Languedoc-Roussillon]]
At the regional elections in March 2004, the [[Socialist Party (France)|socialist]] mayor of [[Montpellier]] [[Georges Frêche]], defeated its center-right president. Since then, Georges Frêche has embarked on a complete overhaul of the region and its institutions. The flag of the region, which displayed the [[Occitan cross|cross of Languedoc]] as well as the [[Senyera|Flag of Roussillon]] (the {{lang|ca|Senyera}}), was changed for a new flag with no reference to the old provinces, except in terms of the colors (red and yellow), which are the colors of both Languedoc and all the territories from the former [[Crown of Aragon]].

Georges Frêche also wanted to change the name of the region, wishing to erase its duality (Languedoc vs. Roussillon) and strengthen its unity. Thus, he wanted to rename the region Septimanie ([[Septimania]]). {{lang|la|Septimania}} was the name created by the Romans at the end of the [[Roman Empire]] for the coastal area corresponding quite well to present day Languedoc-Roussillon (including Roussillon, but not including Gévaudan), and used in the early [[Middle Ages]] for the area. This name, however, has not been in use since the 9th century, and it sounded quite odd to French people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historia.fr/mensuel/710/la-septimanie-seme-la-zizanie-01-02-2006-50957 |title=La Septimanie sème la zizanie |author=Historia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723223246/http://www.historia.fr/mensuel/710/la-septimanie-seme-la-zizanie-01-02-2006-50957 |archive-date=23 July 2015  }}</ref> Strong opposition of the population led to Georges Frêche giving up on his idea. He declared that he still believed in it but could not go ahead without a mandate.

[[Catalan nationalism|Catalan nationalists]] in [[Roussillon]] would like the [[Pyrénées-Orientales]] department to secede from Languedoc-Roussillon and become a region in its own right, under the proposed name of {{lang|ca|Catalunya Nord}} ([[Northern Catalonia]]), as part of the {{lang|ca|[[Països Catalans]]}} (Catalan Countries), a new country. {{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} This idea has minimal popular support.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}

On the other hand, there are some who would like to merge the Languedoc-Roussillon and [[Midi-Pyrénées]] regions, thus reunifying the old province of [[Languedoc]], and creating a large region. It seems probable that Georges Frêche, with his idea of a "Septimanie" region, would not support such plans, although political leaders in [[Béziers]], [[Narbonne]], and especially [[Nîmes]], would probably support such a merger, hostile as they are to [[Montpellier]], which was chosen as the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon instead of their own city, and which they accuse of [[hegemony]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}