| Marie-George Buffet | |
|---|---|
| National secretary of the French Communist Party | |
| In office 2001–2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert Hue |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Laurent |
| Member of the French National Assembly for Seine-Saint-Denis (4th constituency) |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 16 June 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Daniel Feurtet |
| French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports | |
| In office 4 June 1997 – 5 May 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Guy Drut |
| Succeeded by | Jean-François Lamour |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 7, 1949 Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party | Communist |
Marie-George Buffet (born May 7, 1949 in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French politician. She was the head of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 2001 to 2010. She joined the Party in 1969, and was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports from June 4, 1997 to May 5, 2002. Ms. Buffet was re-elected on June 16, 2002 to another five-year term in the National Assembly, as a representative of Seine-Saint-Denis. Her father Paul Kosellek is of Polish descent.
Buffet was elected in 2001 as National Secretary of the Party, succeeding Robert Hue, who assumed the newly-created presidency of the party. When Hue resigned after his poor score in the 2002 presidential elections, the post of president was removed, leaving Buffet as sole leader of the Party.
As head of the French Communist Party, Buffet speaks regularly on a variety of topics relating to the plight of the working people. Most of Buffet's speeches tend to focus upon practical implementations of the taxpayer's duty to provide for workers. In one recent speech, Buffet exclaimed that what the working class needed was for the taxpayers to pay higher prices for manufactured goods or to send industry abroad so that workers might get free housing from the government.
Other issues that Buffet is interested in and has spoken on are the Bolkestein Directive (a free trade directive issued by the European Union), energy initiatives, and ideological issues linked with stopping privatization and aiding the lower classes or working people. As a member of the French National Parliament, Buffet has begun to recognize the need to organize with the Communist and Socialist parties of other states within the EU.
This can be seen in the Marie-George Buffet Statement, which came out in June 2005. It constitutes a comment on the aftermath of the referendum on the establishment of further free trade rulings inside the European Union, one which was rejected by the entirety of the Left. Buffet sees this French Communist victory as a victory for communists across Europe. She remarked:
In 2009, she condemned as "irresponsible" and "criminal" statements by Pope Benedict XVI which claimed that condoms promote AIDS, although they in fact help prevent it. [1]
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In 2006, Buffet took part in a "rally of the anti-liberal left", in an attempt to reconcile the PCF, the rest of the radical left, and anti-globalization militants, by the nomination of a common candidate for the 2007 French presidential election. As Buffet was voted as candidate by most members of the rally, several other participants fell out, denouncing the Communist Party's influence, effectively crippling the "anti-liberal left" and leaving Buffet as candidate for the sole PCF. Buffet had to compete with the radical-left candidacies of Olivier Besancenot, José Bové and Arlette Laguiller. She ended up receiving 1.93% of the popular vote (707,268 votes), the lowest result ever for a Communist presidential candidate in France.
Governmental function
Minister of Youth and Sports : 1997-2002.
Electoral mandates
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Seine-Saint-Denis : Elected in 1997, but she became minister in June / And since 2002. Elected in 1997, reelected in 2002, 2007.
Regional Council
Regional councillor of Ile-de-France : 1998-2002 (Resignation).
Municipal Council
Deputy-mayor of Chatenay-Malabry : 1977-1983.
Municipal councillor of Le Blanc-Mesnil : Since 2001. Reelected in 2008.
Political functions
National Secretary (Leader) of the French Communist Party : 2001-2010.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Guy Drut |
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (France) 1997-2002 |
Succeeded by Jean-François Lamour |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Hue |
National secretary of the French Communist Party 2001-2010 |
Succeeded by Pierre Laurent |
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