MIM flag
*On this date in 1978, the Martinican Independence Movement, or M.I.M., was formed. This is a left-wing political party in the overseas department of Martinique, West Indies.
Alfred Marie-Jeanne founded it to secure "the decolonization and independence of Martinique." Its secretary is the deputy and president of the Regional Council of Martinique. It has one seat in the French National Assembly. In 1973, Marie-Jeanne and others founded an organization called "La Parole au Peuple" (Word to the People), which became the Martinican Independence Movement in 1978.
Up until the 1990s, M.I.M. had only limited success at the polls. Marie-Jeanne was elected to the General Council but was not re-elected. In 1983, when the first direct election for the newly established Regional Council was held, the party received only three percent of the votes, and in 1989 lost one of its two mayors. Following the French regional elections of 2004, the M.I.M. became the majority party in the regional council.
The party also counts two general councilors among its members. In the municipal and cantonal elections in March 2008, the M.I.M. presented 17 at-large candidates. For the first time in its history, its candidates received significant support, and four were elected mayors:
· In Rivière-Salée, Vincent Duville received 2829 votes, 46.05%
· In Sainte-Luce, Jean-Philippe Nilor received 2374 votes, 46.63%
· In Saint Esprit, Georges Buisson received 1619 votes, 34.87%
· In Trois-Ilets, Lise N'Guéla received 1295 votes, 42.73%
The M.I.M. publishes a journal, La Parole au Peuple, and operates a radio station, R.D.L.M.
