Henri Emmanuelli

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Henri Emmanuelli
Secretary of State for Overseas France
In office
22 May 1981 – 22 May 1983
PresidentFrançois Mitterrand
Prime MinisterPierre Mauroy
Preceded byPaul Dijoud
Succeeded byGeorges Lemoine
Member of the National Assembly
for Landes's 3rd constituency
In office
7 February 2000 – 21 March 2017
Preceded byJoël Goyheneix
Succeeded byMonique Lubin
Personal details
Born(1945-05-31)31 May 1945
Banker

Henri Emmanuelli (31 May 1945 – 21 March 2017) was a French politician. A member of the French Socialist Party, he was deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997, and from 2000 to 2017.

Early life and career

Emmanuelli was born in Eaux-Bonnes in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. He grew up with a working-class background and lost his father at a very young age. He studied at Lycée Louis-Barthou in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and then in Sciences Po in Paris.

In 1969, he joined the

French National Assembly
at age 32 in 1978.

Political career

He joined the Socialist Party in 1971. On the request of

DOM-TOM
territories of France and between 1981 and 1983, as Secretary of State for Budget between 1983 and 1986, and Secretary of State for Consumption between 1984 and 1986.

Between January 1992 and April 1993, he was chairman of the National Assembly. He was then elected First Secretary of the Socialist Party in June 1994 and held this office until October 1995. His election to this position was seen as revenge for the Mitterrand wing of the Socialist Party against Michel Rocard, the incumbent First Secretary, who had been weakened by the party's poor result in the 1994 European Parliament election. However, he was defeated by Lionel Jospin in the race to represent the Socialist Party in the 1995 presidential election.[2] Jospin also took on the role of First Secretary of the party in October 1995. One year later, Emmanuelli was convicted for the illicit financing of the party when he was its treasurer. He re-entered politics in 2000.

Whilst he was a faithful supporter of Mitterrand until the latter's death, he is identified as belonging to the left-wing of the Socialist Party, and was one of the leaders of the party's "New World" faction formed in 2002 that aimed to steer the party leftwards after Jospin's poor performance in that year's presidential election.[3] In the campaigns for the Referendum on the European Constitution in 2005 and the Treaty of Rome of 2004, he publicly declared himself in favour of the no campaign; this put him in direct opposition to the official line of the Socialist Party, which was in favour of the treaty. He believed that the treaty was a move away from the idea of a Federal Europe, which he endorsed, notably in his "Plea for Europe".[4][5] He is followed by his close supporters, one of which is Michel Vergnier, the deputy for la Creuse. In 2000, he took part in the Congress of Grenoble of the Socialist Party and was an avid campaigner for a Socialist Party that was aligned to the left. For the Congress of Mans in November 2005, he associated himself with the New Socialist Party motion of Arnaud Montebourg, Vincent Peillon, and Benoît Hamon.

Other activities

Political career (overview)

Governmental functions

  • Secretary of State for Overseas Territories: 1981–1983
  • Secretary of State for Budget and consommation: 1983–1986

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

Regional Council

General Council

  • President of the General Council of Landes: 1982–1997 (Sentenced to prison in 1997) / Since 2000. Reelected in 1985, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2011.
  • General councillor of
    canton
    of Mugron: 1982–1997 (Sentenced to prison in 1997) / Since 2000. Reelected in 1988, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2008.

Political functions

  • First Secretary (leader) of the Socialist Party: 1994–1995, elected in 1994.

Death

Emmanuelli died on 21 March 2017 at a medical center in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques from complications of acute bronchitis at the age of 71.[7]

Publications

  • Plaidoyer pour l’Europe, Éditions Flammarion, July 1992. (A Plea for Europe)
  • Citadelles interdites, Éditions Ramsay, 2000 (roman). (Forbidden Citadels)

References

  1. ^ Jim Jarrassé, La banque Rothschild, un vivier de politiques, Le Figaro, August 27, 2014
  2. ^ Thomas Sancton, "Left at the Starting Blocks", Time. February 20, 1995.
  3. ^ Bruce Crumley, "The French Opposition", Time. September 8, 2002.
  4. ^ John Henley, "Raffarin in line to be victim of political disarray". The Guardian, May 30, 2005.
  5. ^ John Nichols, "French Voters Rewrite History", The Nation. May 31, 2005.
  6. ^ Sharon Wajsbrot (23 August 2017), Gilles Le Gendre, gage de renouveau pour l'organe de vigie de la CDC Les Echos.
  7. Sud-Ouest
    , 21 mars 2017 (in French).

External links

Political offices
Preceded by President of the French National Assembly
1992–1993
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
First Secretary of the Socialist Party

1994–1995
Succeeded by