Pascal Clément

Pascal Clément (born 1945) is a French politician a member of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP).[1][2] He is a member of the National Assembly of France for the sixth district, encompassing the Loire.[1][2] He served as Minister of Parliamentary Relations from 1993 to 1995, and Minister of Justice from 2005 to 2007.[1][2]

Biography

Pascal Clément was born on May 12, 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.[1]

He was first elected to the National Assembly of France in 1978, where he served until 1993.[1][2] From March 1993 to May 1995, he served as Minister of Parliamentary Relations.[1][2] In June 1995, he joined the National Assembly again after Jacques Cyprès stepped down, and he served until 2005.[1][2] From June 2005 to May 2007, he served as Minister of Justice.[1][2]

On a more local level, he served as Mayor of Saint-Marcel-de-Félines from 1977 to 2001, and as councillor from 2001 to 2008.[1][2] He also served as Vice President of the General Council of the Loire from 1982 to 1994, and as its president from 1994 to 2008.[1][2]

In 2009, he clashed with Nora Berra after he allegedly said "The day there will be as many minarets as cathedrals, this country won't be France any more."[3][4] Both Berra and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet left the room as they found it anti-Muslim, though he later denied he ever said that.[3][5]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j National Assembly profile
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Official biography
  3. ^ a b Charles Platiau, 'Selon Clément, Berra a "inventé" la phrase anti-minarets', in L'Express, 23/12/2009 [1]
  4. ^ 'Nora Berra claque la porte d'une réunion du groupe UMP à l'Assemblée nationale', in 20 minutes, 22 Dec 2009 [2]
  5. ^ Pour Pascal Clément, Nora Berra a «inventé» ses propos controversés sur les minarets', 20 minutes, 23 Dec 2009 [3]