Christian Poncelet
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| Christian Poncelet | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office October 1, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | René Monory |
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| Born | 24 March 1928 Blaise, Ardennes |
| Political party | Union for a Popular Movement |
Christian Poncelet (born 24 March 1928) is a conservative French politician. A member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP),[1] he has been President of the Senate since 1998. In addition to being a Senator, he is Mayor of Remiremont (Vosges) and has been the President of the General Council of Vosges.
Poncelet was born in Blaise in the Ardennes. He was elected to the National Assembly in the November 1962 parliamentary election from the Third Constituency of Vosges[2] and was re-elected from the same constituency in the March 1967 parliamentary election[3] and the June 1968 parliamentary election. He served as a deputy until August 1972, when he left his seat following his nomination as a member of the government.[4] He was first elected to the Senate in September 1977, and he was re-elected in September 1986, September 1995, and September 2004, representing Vosges.[1]
On 2 October 1998, Poncelet was elected by the Senate as its President in a third round of voting. The previous President of the Senate, Rene Monory, had withdrawn after the first round of voting. In the third round, Poncelet received 189 votes against 93 for Socialist candidate Claude Estier and one vote for the withdrawn Communist candidate Helene Luc.[5]
As President of the Senate, he is first person in presidential line of succession. He was close to becoming Interim President in 2005, when there were rumors that President Jacques Chirac would resign if he lost the European Constitution referendum. In this case, Poncelet would have become Interim President until the winner of a special election could be sworn in. Ultimately, however, Chirac declined to resign after the referendum vote was defeated.
[edit] References
- ^ a b CV at Senate website (French).
- ^ Page for Poncelet as a member of the Second Legislature, National Assembly website (French).
- ^ Page for Poncelet as a member of the Third Legislature, National Assembly website (French).
- ^ Page for Poncelet as a member of the Fourth Legislature, National Assembly website (French).
- ^ "Gaullist elected as speaker of French upper house", France 2 TV teletext (nl.newsbank.com), October 2, 1998.
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| Preceded by René Monory |
President of the French Senate 1998- |
Succeeded by current incumbent |
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