Jean-Pierre Raffarin

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Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
In office
6 May 2002 – 31 May 2005
Preceded by Lionel Jospin
Succeeded by Dominique de Villepin
Born 3 August 1948
Poitiers
Political party UMP

Jean-Pierre Raffarin listen (help·info) (born 3 August 1948) is a French conservative politician and senator of Vienne.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin resigned, he said that his decision was not based on the outcome of the vote. Opinion polls following his resignation suggested that Raffarin was one of France's most unpopular prime ministers since the Fifth Republic was set up in 1958.

Raffarin is married to Anne-Marie Perrier (b. 1952 in Chamalières) and has a daughter, Fleur.

Contents

[edit] Career

He was born in Poitiers. He studied law at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and later graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris business school. He started his professional career in marketing.

In the 1970s, his first political commitment was in the association of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's young supporters. Defined himself as a "giscardien", he joined the staff of Lionel Stoléru, Secretary of state for Manual Workers and Immigration, and the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the center-right confederation Union for French Democracy (UDF).

In the 1980s, he started a career of local elect in Poitou-Charente region. With the support of René Monory, the local political leader, he took the chair of the regional council in 1988. Seven years later, he was eleceted senator of Vienne département.

During the 1995 presidential campaign, while the most part of the UDF politicians supported Edouard Balladur, he chosen the winning candidacy of Jacques Chirac. In return, he was nominated Minister of Small and Medium-sized Companies, Commerce and Craft Industry in Alain Juppé's cabinet (1995-1997).

In the same time, the pro-Chirac UDF members founded the Popular Party for French Democracy. Then, he returned in the Republican Party, became Liberal Democracy (DL) in 1997. He was vice-president of DL until 2002.

During the 2002 presidential campaign, he advocated the union of the right behind the incumbent President Chirac. After his re-election, Chirac wished give a sign of political renewal. Furthemore, elected in a special second round by a majority of left-wing voters, he searched for a moderate to lead the cabinet and the June 2002 legislative campaign. He chosen this unknew politician who said he listened "France of bottom". Raffarin participated to the constitution of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

His political policies combined authority and moderate economical liberalism — that is, the support of laissez-faire economic policies. In 2003, he launched the reforms of the public retirement scheme and of decentralization, which led to many strikes. During the summer of 2003, the country experienced an unusual heat wave which caused the death of approximately 15,000 people. The perceived late reaction of the government was blamed on his administration. In 2004 he began a reform of the French state-run health-care system.

Raffarin's governments were known for their internal quarrels, with various ministers taking opposite positions in public. The alleged lack of authority of the Prime Minister was mocked by part of the media.

On 28 March 2004 the ruling UMP party suffered an important defeat during the regional elections, with all but one régions out of 22 of mainland France going to the opposition (PS, PCF, Les Verts). This was generally interpreted, including by Raffarin himself in his post-election speech, as "a sign of distrust against the government from the electorate". On 30 March 2004 Jean-Pierre Raffarin tendered the resignation of his government to president Jacques Chirac, who immediately re-appointed him prime minister, with the delegation to form a new government. This major cabinet reshuffle removed some of its most controversial ministers like Luc Ferry (education) or Jean-François Mattei (health).

His resignation was ratified by President Chirac on 30 May 2005, after the "no" victory at the European Constitution referendum. On 18 September 2005 he was elected senator in the Vienne département. Speculation is that he could eventually try to become Chairman of the Senate or president of the UMP if Nicolas Sarkozy wins the 2007 presidential election. Raffarin is Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor) and Grand-Croix de l'ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit).

[edit] International policies

In September 2004 the US conservative blogosphere erupted with criticism of France when a New York Post opinion piece claimed that Le Figaro reported that Raffarin said "the Iraqi insurgents are our best allies". There is no trace of this quote in Le Figaro, and the opinion piece is no longer available from the NYP website.

Yet, the New York Post article by Amir Taheri from October 6, 2004 is still online on the website of the - presumably neo-conservative - American "Frontpage Magazine". [1]

During a state visit to China on 21 April 2005 he avoided opposing the new "anti-secession" law on Taiwan, stating that "The anti-secession law is completely compatible with the position of France" and "The position of France has always been to 'one China' and we will remain attached to this position". On the embargo on weapons, he stated that "France continues to ask for a lifting of the embargo, and does not see what could lead the European Council to change position on that question". [2] [3] Foreign Affairs being by constitutional convention one of the President's solely responsibilities, it is safe to assume that these remarks were made at President Chirac's demand.

[edit] Raffarin's First Government

7 May 2002 - 31 March 2004 (called Raffarin I until 17 June, and became Raffarin II)

  • Jean-Pierre Raffarin - Prime Minister
  • Dominique de Villepin - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Francophonie
  • Michèle Alliot-Marie - Minister of Defense and Veterans
  • Nicolas Sarkozy - Minister of the Interior, Interior Security, and Local Liberties
  • Francis Mer - Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry
  • François Fillon - Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, and Solidarity
  • Dominique Perben - Minister of Justice
  • Luc Ferry - Minister of National Education, Youth, Higher Education, and Research
  • Jean-Jacques Aillagon - Minister of Culture and Communication
  • Hervé Gaymard - Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs
  • Roselyne Bachelot - Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development
  • Tokia Saïfi - Minister Delegate of Sustainable Development
  • Jean-François Lamour - Minister of Sport
  • Brigitte Girardin - Minister of Overseas
  • Gilles de Robien - Minister of Transport, Housing, Tourism, Sea, and Equipment
  • Jean-François Mattei - Minister of Health, Family, and Handicapped People
  • Jean-Paul Delevoye - Minister of Civil Service, Reform of the State, and Regional Planning

[edit] Minor Changes

17 June 2002

[edit] Raffarin's Second Government

31 March 2004 - 29 November 2004 (called Raffarin III)

[edit] Minor changes

29 November 2004 - Nicolas Sarkozy left to be the president of the UMP. Thus there was a reshuffle.

25 February 2005 - following a scandal forcing Hervé Gaymard resignation.

[edit] Raffarinades

Jean-Pierre Raffarin was often teased for his optimistic aphorisms, known colloquially and ironically as raffarinades, the best known being La route est droite, mais la pente est forte ("The road is straight, but the slope is steep"). Some consider that the word raffarinade was created in reference to the other French word mazarinade. However, mazarinade refers to the songs that the frondeurs (French revolutionaries during the Régence of Queen Anne - archiduchess of Austria - and prime minister cardinal de Mazarin, before king Louis XIV's personal reign) sang to mock the unpopular prime minister.


[edit] Bertie Ahern

Upon his appointment and his at the end of his term there was considerable comment in the lower end Irish media about the apparent likeness between Jean-Pierre Raffarin and the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. Both men have similar hairstyles and similar faces.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Preceded by
Alain Madelin		 Minister of Small and Medium-sized Companies, Commerce, and Craft Industry
1995–1997		 Succeeded by
Marylise Lebranchu
Preceded by
Lionel Jospin		 Prime Minister of France
2002–2005		 Succeeded by
Dominique de Villepin


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