Dominique de Villepin
Encyclopedia
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (dɔminik də vilpɛ̃) (born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France
from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007.
A career diplomat, Villepin rose through the ranks of the French right as one of Jacques Chirac
's protégés. He came into the international spotlight as Foreign Minister with his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
which culminated with a speech to the UN (French address on Iraq at the UN Security Council).
Villepin was indicted in connection with the Clearstream affair
, but was subsequently cleared of charges of complicity in allowing false accusations
to proceed against presidential rival Nicolas Sarkozy
regarding bribes paid on a sale of warships to Taiwan
. Villepin has enjoyed a modest return to public favour for his public critique of President Sarkozy's style of "imperial rule."
His lyrical texts and passion for France won him awards in 2001 for his book about the last 100 days
of Napoleon Bonaparte's rule, entitled Les Cent-jours, ou L'esprit de sacrifice. He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays, along with a study of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Villepin is an Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
.
One of the most vocal right-wing opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy
, on 8 September, he announced his candidature for President of France in 2012, On 25 March 2010, he announced that he would form a new center-right political movement in order to offer an alternative to Sarkozy in the 2012 election. The new party, named République solidaire, was formally launched on 18 June 2010 on the 70th anniversary of General de Gaulle's "Appeal of 18 June" in 1940.
Venezuela
, where his family lived for four years. He graduated from the Lycée Français de New York
in 1971. He has three children: Marie
(b. 1986), Arthur, and Victoire (b. 1989).
Villepin's family derives from the middle class (the family was never aristocratic, and was responsible for adding the particle "de" to their own name). His great-grandfather was a colonel
in the French army, his grandfather was a board member for several companies, and his father Xavier de Villepin
, now retired, was a diplomat and a member of the Senate
. Villepin speaks French, English and Spanish.
(ENA), France's highly selective post-graduate school which trains its top civil servants. Villepin also holds degrees in Civil law and French literature from the universities of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and Paris X Nanterre. At the end of his studies he completed his military service as a naval officer on board the Aircraft Carrier Clemenceau, Villepin then entered a career in diplomacy. His assignments were:
, the Foreign Minister in Édouard Balladur
's cabinet, who was Chirac's political heir apparent
.
Villepin then became director of Chirac's successful 1995 presidential campaign and was rewarded with the key job of Secretary-General of the Élysée Palace
during Chirac's first term as President of the Republic (1995–2002). He advised the president to hold an early general election in 1997, while the French National Assembly
was overwhelmingly dominated by the president's party. This was a risky gamble, and Chirac's party went on to lose the elections. Villepin offered Chirac his resignation afterwards, but it was turned down. Villepin's flawed advice on the election increased the perception among many politicians on the right that Villepin had no experience or understanding of grassroots politics, and owed his enviable position only to being Chirac's protégé.
Villepin has had an uneasy relationship with the members of his own political side. He has in the past made a number of demeaning remarks on members of parliament from his own party. In addition, the mutual distaste between Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy
, head of the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) majority party, is well-known.
at the beginning of Chirac's second term in 2002.
During the 2004 crisis in Haiti, Villepin obtained the backing of the United States Secretary of State
, Colin Powell
, in his bid to solve the crisis by ousting Jean-Bertrand Aristide
from power.
Villepin's most famous assignment as Chirac's Foreign Minister was opposing the U.S. plan to invade
Iraq
, giving France a leading role in the grouping of countries such as Germany, Belgium, Russia and China that opposed the invasion. The speech he gave to the UN to block a second resolution allowing the use of force against Saddam Hussein
's regime received loud applause.
During mid-2003 Villepin organized the Opération 14 juillet
that attepted to rescue his former student, Ingrid Betancourt
, who was being held by FARC rebels in Colombia. The operation failed, and because he had neither informed Colombia, Brazil, nor President Chirac of the mission, it resulted in a political scandal.
Finance Minister
, Villepin was appointed to replace him as Interior Minister on 31 March 2004.
His actions against radical Islam included mandatory courses for Muslim clerics, notably in the French language (a third of them may not be fluent in the national language), in moderate Muslim theology and in French secularism: laïcité
, Republican principles
and the law. While Sarkozy created the French Council of the Muslim Faith
, an official body which is now dominated by Orthodoxes, Villepin would have preferred a "Muslim foundation", in which mosque-based representatives would be balanced by secular Muslims.
He also cracked down on radical Muslim clerics, causing an uproar when he tried to expel Abdelkader Bouziane, an imam
alleged to have said to the press that, according to Ancient islamic texts, adulterous people could be whipped or stoned
. When the decision to expel him was overturned by the courts, because of the journalistic reporting of LyonMag was deemed biaised, Villepin pushed a change of the law through Parliament, and Bouziane was sent home.
On 29 May 2005, French voters in the referendum
on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
turned down the proposed document by a wide margin. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Villepin as Prime Minister
.
, was intended to stimulate job growth and arrest the 23% youth unemployment rate by allowing employers to fire employees aged under 26 within the first two years of their employment for any or no reason. Supporters of the law argued that such probationary arrangements are not unusual in Western countries and that the current system in France discourages employers from hiring people whom they may be unable to fire if they prove unsuitable for the job. Critics argue that it discriminates unnecessarily against the young and decreases job security. The union movement issued an ultimatum to Villepin to scrap the law by 20 March or face a general strike. This ultimatum expired without concession. A general strike was called for 28 March.
The CPE was withdrawn by Jacques Chirac on 10 April.
, Dominique de Villepin accused head of the Socialist Party François Hollande
of cowardice
. Hollande had questioned the Prime Minister about the recent "insider trading
" scandal involving the aerospace company EADS
and executive Noël Forgeard
. This triggered an incident in the Assembly, with Socialist deputies converging on the government benches until they were stopped by the Assembly ushers. Hollande demanded apologies and the resignation of the Prime Minister; the next day, Dominique de Villepin apologized. This event resulted in criticism even from Villepin's own UMP
party, with UMP parliamentarians including Assembly vice-president Yves Bur
suggesting that president Chirac
should appoint another Prime Minister.
; however, interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy
was selected unopposed as the UMP's presidential candidate on 14 January 2007. On 12 March 2007 Villepin formally endorsed Sarkozy for President.
Villepin's cabinet was marked by its small membership (for France), and its hierarchical unity: all members had the rank of Minister, and there were no Secretaries of State, the lowest cabinet member rank. The aim of this decision was for the cabinet to form a close-knit and more efficient team to combat unemployment.
The economy was growing sluggishly and a significant drop in unemployment was yet to be seen. Villepin's aim was therefore to restore the French people's trust in their government, an achievement for which he publicly set himself a deadline of a hundred days from the appointment of cabinet.
Another issue was the European Constitution, rejected by France and the Netherlands in referenda.
Some had speculated that Villepin, with his diplomatic experience and the prestige associated with the job of Prime Minister, would negotiate a new treaty with the European Union
, while Sarkozy would run the country at home. However, Villepin obtained favorable reviews from the press and temporarily increased popularity in polls. In particular, he was increasingly cited as a possible presidential candidate for 2007
, although Nicolas Sarkozy had publicly stated that he himself was giving considerable attention to that election. Villepin and Sarkozy initially avoided any open division.
Villepin declared that lowering unemployment was the number one objective of his government (which had also been stated by other prime ministers before him, albeit to no avail). He, as well as the UMP party, believed that France's workforce rules were too rigid and discouraged employment, and that some liberalizing reforms were necessary in order to "correct" the French social model.
On 2 August 2005 he issued ordinances
establishing a new kind of work contract (called CNE) for small enterprises, with fewer guarantees than ordinary contracts. While Villepin's measures would surely have been approved by his wide UMP majority in Parliament. Villepin said the government needed to act fast, especially when Parliament was going on its summer recess.
On 16 January 2006 he announced a similar kind of work contract (called Contrat première embauche, or CPE) for young people (under 26). The parliament approved on 8 February. Subsequently students started to protest. This wave of protest eventually forced the government to give in. Although the law on the CPE is formally still valid, the government promised to hinder its application and initiated a new legal initiative which will abolish the key points of the CPE. During the protests, Villepin was widely perceived as stubborn and arrogant. As a consequence, his popularity rates went down rapidly and he was no longer regarded as a serious contender for the 2007 presidential election.
Another major issue in Villepin's government was the state of the national budget. France runs high deficits, which run afoul of the rules set in the EU Maastricht Treaty
. Villepin's margin of maneuver in that respect was extremely slim.
Ministers
Delegate ministers
5 April 2007
's term, Villepin tendered his resignation from the office of Prime Minister and it was accepted by the President. He was replaced two days later by François Fillon
.
allows the president to appoint unelected ministers. This is a political liability for him, because he is periodically accused of being out of touch with the realities of ordinary citizens. He is also reported to despise elected officials, calling members of Parliament connards (an insult). Villepin is not the first "unelected" prime minister, even in the relatively short history of the Fifth Republic
: notable predecessors include Georges Pompidou
, who was a banker before being called to office, and Raymond Barre
, who had a previous career as a professor and appointed official, and started an elected career only after being Prime minister.
On Thursday, 28 January 2010 the judgement was finally handed down and Villepin was acquitted of every accusation against him in the affair.
The following morning the prosecution announced that it would file an appeal against this verdict, thus further dragging out the affair another year. Villepin was finally cleared by an Appeals Court in September 2011.
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007.
A career diplomat, Villepin rose through the ranks of the French right as one of Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
's protégés. He came into the international spotlight as Foreign Minister with his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
which culminated with a speech to the UN (French address on Iraq at the UN Security Council).
Villepin was indicted in connection with the Clearstream affair
Clearstream affair
The "Clearstream affair" was a political scandal in France in the run-up to the 2007 presidential election.The name refers to the Luxembourg bank Clearstream Banking S.A., now wholly owned by Deutsche Börse, which was alleged to have aided many prominent French politicians and companies evade taxes...
, but was subsequently cleared of charges of complicity in allowing false accusations
False accusations
False accusations can be in any of the following contexts:* informally in everyday life* quasi-judicially* judicially.-Types:...
to proceed against presidential rival Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
regarding bribes paid on a sale of warships to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Villepin has enjoyed a modest return to public favour for his public critique of President Sarkozy's style of "imperial rule."
His lyrical texts and passion for France won him awards in 2001 for his book about the last 100 days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
of Napoleon Bonaparte's rule, entitled Les Cent-jours, ou L'esprit de sacrifice. He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays, along with a study of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Villepin is an Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is a non-governmental organization which researches Holocaust rescuers and advocates for their recognition. The organization developed educational programs for school to promote peace and civil service...
.
One of the most vocal right-wing opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, on 8 September, he announced his candidature for President of France in 2012, On 25 March 2010, he announced that he would form a new center-right political movement in order to offer an alternative to Sarkozy in the 2012 election. The new party, named République solidaire, was formally launched on 18 June 2010 on the 70th anniversary of General de Gaulle's "Appeal of 18 June" in 1940.
Personal life
Villepin was born in Rabat, Morocco and spent some time inVenezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, where his family lived for four years. He graduated from the Lycée Français de New York
Lycée Français de New York
The Lycée Français de New York , literally The French High School of New York, is an exclusive French-medium school for K-12 students based in Manhattan, New York which follows the French curriculum of study and allows students to study for the French general Baccalauréat, the international option...
in 1971. He has three children: Marie
Marie de Villepin
Marie Galouzeau de Villepin is a French model, actress and singer. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. She has a brother, Arthur, and a younger sister, Victoire. She graduated with the "licence" degree in law from the French university "Panthéon Assas Paris II" in...
(b. 1986), Arthur, and Victoire (b. 1989).
Villepin's family derives from the middle class (the family was never aristocratic, and was responsible for adding the particle "de" to their own name). His great-grandfather was a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the French army, his grandfather was a board member for several companies, and his father Xavier de Villepin
Xavier de Villepin
Xavier Galouzeau de Villepin , simply known as Xavier de Villepin, is a former high ranking civil servant of France, and a former French senator from the center-right UMP party...
, now retired, was a diplomat and a member of the Senate
French Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...
. Villepin speaks French, English and Spanish.
Diplomat
Villepin studied at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po) and went on to the École nationale d'administrationÉcole nationale d'administration
The École Nationale d'Administration , one of the most prestigious of French graduate schools , was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials...
(ENA), France's highly selective post-graduate school which trains its top civil servants. Villepin also holds degrees in Civil law and French literature from the universities of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and Paris X Nanterre. At the end of his studies he completed his military service as a naval officer on board the Aircraft Carrier Clemenceau, Villepin then entered a career in diplomacy. His assignments were:
- Advising Committee on African affairs (1980–1984)
- The French embassy in Washington, D.C. (1984–1989), as premier secrétaire until 1987 and then deuxième conseiller
- The embassy in New Delhi (1989–1992), as deuxième conseiller until 1990 and then premier conseiller
- Foreign Ministry's top adviser on Africa (1992–1993)
Politician
Villepin was introduced to Jacques Chirac in the early 1980s and became one of his advisers on foreign policy. In 1993 he became chief of staff (directeur de cabinet) of Alain JuppéAlain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
, the Foreign Minister in Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 29 March 1993 to 10 May 1995.-Biography:Balladur was born in İzmir, Turkey, to an Armenian Catholic family with five children and long-standing ties to France...
's cabinet, who was Chirac's political heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
.
Villepin then became director of Chirac's successful 1995 presidential campaign and was rewarded with the key job of Secretary-General of the Élysée Palace
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic, containing his office, and is where the Council of Ministers meets. It is located near the Champs-Élysées in Paris....
during Chirac's first term as President of the Republic (1995–2002). He advised the president to hold an early general election in 1997, while the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
was overwhelmingly dominated by the president's party. This was a risky gamble, and Chirac's party went on to lose the elections. Villepin offered Chirac his resignation afterwards, but it was turned down. Villepin's flawed advice on the election increased the perception among many politicians on the right that Villepin had no experience or understanding of grassroots politics, and owed his enviable position only to being Chirac's protégé.
Villepin has had an uneasy relationship with the members of his own political side. He has in the past made a number of demeaning remarks on members of parliament from his own party. In addition, the mutual distaste between Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, head of the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP) majority party, is well-known.
Foreign Minister
He was appointed Foreign Minister by Chirac in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre RaffarinJean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for 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...
at the beginning of Chirac's second term in 2002.
During the 2004 crisis in Haiti, Villepin obtained the backing of the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, in his bid to solve the crisis by ousting Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
from power.
Villepin's most famous assignment as Chirac's Foreign Minister was opposing the U.S. plan to invade
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, giving France a leading role in the grouping of countries such as Germany, Belgium, Russia and China that opposed the invasion. The speech he gave to the UN to block a second resolution allowing the use of force against Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's regime received loud applause.
During mid-2003 Villepin organized the Opération 14 juillet
Opération 14 juillet
L'Opération 14 juillet was a failed French operation to rescue Ingrid Betancourt from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in July 2003. Organized by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, the mission failed to make contact with FARC guerrillas and eventually returned home...
that attepted to rescue his former student, Ingrid Betancourt
Íngrid Betancourt
Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio is a Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist.Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on 23 February 2002 and was rescued by Colombian security forces six and a half years later on 2 July 2008...
, who was being held by FARC rebels in Colombia. The operation failed, and because he had neither informed Colombia, Brazil, nor President Chirac of the mission, it resulted in a political scandal.
Interior Minister
During the cabinet reshuffle that made Nicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
Finance Minister
Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (France)
The Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment , or Minister of Finance for short, is one of the most prominent positions in the cabinet of France after the Prime Minister....
, Villepin was appointed to replace him as Interior Minister on 31 March 2004.
His actions against radical Islam included mandatory courses for Muslim clerics, notably in the French language (a third of them may not be fluent in the national language), in moderate Muslim theology and in French secularism: laïcité
Laïcité
French secularism, in French, laïcité is a concept denoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs as well as absence of government involvement in religious affairs. French secularism has a long history but the current regime is based on the 1905 French law on the Separation of...
, Republican principles
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Liberté, égalité, fraternité, French for "Liberty, equality, fraternity ", is the national motto of France, and is a typical example of a tripartite motto. Although it finds its origins in the French Revolution, it was then only one motto among others and was not institutionalized until the Third...
and the law. While Sarkozy created the French Council of the Muslim Faith
French Council of the Muslim Faith
The French Council of the Muslim Faith , is a national elected body, to serve as an official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities. It is a non-profit group created on 28 May 2003, consisting of 25 CRCMs...
, an official body which is now dominated by Orthodoxes, Villepin would have preferred a "Muslim foundation", in which mosque-based representatives would be balanced by secular Muslims.
He also cracked down on radical Muslim clerics, causing an uproar when he tried to expel Abdelkader Bouziane, an imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
alleged to have said to the press that, according to Ancient islamic texts, adulterous people could be whipped or stoned
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
. When the decision to expel him was overturned by the courts, because of the journalistic reporting of LyonMag was deemed biaised, Villepin pushed a change of the law through Parliament, and Bouziane was sent home.
Prime Minister
President Chirac was at one point thought to have turned his eye on Villepin as a possible successor, assuming that he himself would not enter the 2007 presidential contest. However, Nicolas Sarkozy was chosen to represent the centre-right UMP party.On 29 May 2005, French voters in the referendum
French referendum on the European Constitution
The French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held on 29 May 2005 to decide whether France should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union...
on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
turned down the proposed document by a wide margin. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Villepin as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
.
Contrat Première Embauche (First Employment Contract)
On Thursday, 16 March 2006, tens of thousands of French university and school students marched to demand the government scrap a contentious youth jobs clause, known as First Employment Contract (CPE). The law, intended as a response to the 2005 riots2005 civil unrest in France
The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
, was intended to stimulate job growth and arrest the 23% youth unemployment rate by allowing employers to fire employees aged under 26 within the first two years of their employment for any or no reason. Supporters of the law argued that such probationary arrangements are not unusual in Western countries and that the current system in France discourages employers from hiring people whom they may be unable to fire if they prove unsuitable for the job. Critics argue that it discriminates unnecessarily against the young and decreases job security. The union movement issued an ultimatum to Villepin to scrap the law by 20 March or face a general strike. This ultimatum expired without concession. A general strike was called for 28 March.
General strike, demonstrations, and the fall of Villepin
On 28 March, between one and three million people demonstrated across France. The protests were accompanied by some violence and 800 people were arrested, 500 of them in Paris. Prime Minister Villepin refused to withdraw the CPE but called for negotiations on adapting it. The demonstrators for the most part called for the complete withdrawal of the CPE.The CPE was withdrawn by Jacques Chirac on 10 April.
More unrest for Villepin
On 20 June 2006, during the questions to government in the National AssemblyFrench National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
, Dominique de Villepin accused head of the Socialist Party François Hollande
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Hollande is a French politician. From 1997 to 2008, he was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. He has also served as a Deputy of the National Assembly of France, representing the first constituency of Corrèze, since 1997. He previously represented that seat...
of cowardice
Cowardice
Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
. Hollande had questioned the Prime Minister about the recent "insider trading
Insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
" scandal involving the aerospace company EADS
EADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
and executive Noël Forgeard
Noël Forgeard
Noël Forgeard is a French industrialist and former joint CEO of EADS.-Appointment:From April 1998 until June 2005 Forgeard was CEO of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS.In late 2004 he was nominated as the next French CEO of EADS...
. This triggered an incident in the Assembly, with Socialist deputies converging on the government benches until they were stopped by the Assembly ushers. Hollande demanded apologies and the resignation of the Prime Minister; the next day, Dominique de Villepin apologized. This event resulted in criticism even from Villepin's own UMP
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
party, with UMP parliamentarians including Assembly vice-president Yves Bur
Yves Bur
Yves Bur is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Bas-Rhin department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
suggesting that president Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
should appoint another Prime Minister.
Clearstream affair
In 2004, French judges were given a list by an anonymous source containing the names of politicians and others who, it was alleged, had deposited kickbacks from a 1991 arms sale to Taiwan into secret accounts at Clearstream, a private bank in Luxembourg. The most prominent name on the list was that of Nicolas Sarkozy, Villepin's rival for power in the UMP. The list was later shown to be fraudulent, a discovery Villepin kept from the public for 15 months at a time when the two men were vying for party supremacy. Meanwhile, the source of the list was later revealed to be a longtime associate of Villepin's, one Jean-Louis Gergorin, an executive at EADS. Critics claimed that Villepin, perhaps with the support of then-president Jacques Chirac, had tried to defame his rival. Sarkozy, in turn, filed a suit against whoever was behind the creation of the Clearstream list. An investigation continues.Presidential bid
There was speculation that Villepin might be a candidate in the 2007 Presidential electionFrench presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
; however, interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
was selected unopposed as the UMP's presidential candidate on 14 January 2007. On 12 March 2007 Villepin formally endorsed Sarkozy for President.
Villepin's first cabinet
In an address to the nation, Chirac had declared that the new cabinet's top priority would be to curb unemployment, which was consistently hovering above 10%, calling for a "national mobilization" to that effect.Villepin's cabinet was marked by its small membership (for France), and its hierarchical unity: all members had the rank of Minister, and there were no Secretaries of State, the lowest cabinet member rank. The aim of this decision was for the cabinet to form a close-knit and more efficient team to combat unemployment.
The economy was growing sluggishly and a significant drop in unemployment was yet to be seen. Villepin's aim was therefore to restore the French people's trust in their government, an achievement for which he publicly set himself a deadline of a hundred days from the appointment of cabinet.
Another issue was the European Constitution, rejected by France and the Netherlands in referenda.
Some had speculated that Villepin, with his diplomatic experience and the prestige associated with the job of Prime Minister, would negotiate a new treaty with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, while Sarkozy would run the country at home. However, Villepin obtained favorable reviews from the press and temporarily increased popularity in polls. In particular, he was increasingly cited as a possible presidential candidate for 2007
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
, although Nicolas Sarkozy had publicly stated that he himself was giving considerable attention to that election. Villepin and Sarkozy initially avoided any open division.
Villepin declared that lowering unemployment was the number one objective of his government (which had also been stated by other prime ministers before him, albeit to no avail). He, as well as the UMP party, believed that France's workforce rules were too rigid and discouraged employment, and that some liberalizing reforms were necessary in order to "correct" the French social model.
On 2 August 2005 he issued ordinances
Ordonnance (French constitutional law)
In the Government of France, an ordonnance is a statute passed by the Council of Ministers in an area of law normally reserved for statute law passed by the Parliament of France....
establishing a new kind of work contract (called CNE) for small enterprises, with fewer guarantees than ordinary contracts. While Villepin's measures would surely have been approved by his wide UMP majority in Parliament. Villepin said the government needed to act fast, especially when Parliament was going on its summer recess.
On 16 January 2006 he announced a similar kind of work contract (called Contrat première embauche, or CPE) for young people (under 26). The parliament approved on 8 February. Subsequently students started to protest. This wave of protest eventually forced the government to give in. Although the law on the CPE is formally still valid, the government promised to hinder its application and initiated a new legal initiative which will abolish the key points of the CPE. During the protests, Villepin was widely perceived as stubborn and arrogant. As a consequence, his popularity rates went down rapidly and he was no longer regarded as a serious contender for the 2007 presidential election.
Another major issue in Villepin's government was the state of the national budget. France runs high deficits, which run afoul of the rules set in the EU Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
. Villepin's margin of maneuver in that respect was extremely slim.
Cabinet membership
- Dominique de Villepin – Prime MinisterPrime Minister of FranceThe Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
Ministers
- Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
– Minister of StateMinister of StateMinister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
, Minister of the InteriorMinister of the Interior (France)The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes... - Michèle Alliot-MarieMichèle Alliot-MarieMichèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
– Minister of DefenceMinister of Defence (France)The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France.... - Philippe Douste-BlazyPhilippe Douste-BlazyPhilippe Douste-Blazy is a French centre-right politician. He served as Minister for Health , Minister of Culture and Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin .Douste-Blazy is also a cardiologist and Christian Democrat politician from Lourdes...
– Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister of Foreign Affairs (France)Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for... - Jean-Louis BorlooJean-Louis BorlooJean-Louis Borloo is a French politician, and was the French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning between 2007 and 2010.-Professional résumé:Education...
– Minister of Employment, Social Cohesion and HousingMinister of Social Affairs (France)The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (French: Ministre des Affaires sociales et de l'emploi is a cabinet member in the Government of France. The position was originally known as Minister of Labor... - Thierry BretonThierry BretonThierry Breton is a French businessman and politician who is currently the CEO of the IT firm Atos. He was the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin, Jacques Chirac being the President de la...
– Minister of the Economy, Finance and IndustryMinister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (France)The Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment , or Minister of Finance for short, is one of the most prominent positions in the cabinet of France after the Prime Minister.... - Gilles de RobienGilles de RobienCount Gilles de Robien is a French politician. He is the son of count Jean de Robien and of Éliane Le Mesre de Pas. The Robien are a noble family originating from Brittany....
– Minister of National EducationMinister of National Education (France)The Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sport , or simply "Minister of National Education," as the title has changed no small number of times in the course of the Fifth Republic) is the French government cabinet member charged with running France's public educational system and with the... - Pascal Clément – Keeper of the SealsKeeper of the sealsThe title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial office.- Canada :...
, Minister of JusticeMinister of Justice (France)The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice , a top-level cabinet position in the French government. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier... - Dominique PerbenDominique PerbenDominique Perben is a French politician. Born in Lyon, he was French Minister of Transportation from 2005 to 2007. He was previously Minister of Justice , Minister of Civil Service and Administration and Minister of Overseas France .Perben has been a Deputy in the National Assembly for the fifth...
– Minister of Transportation, Equipment, Tourism and the SeaMinister of Transportation (France)The Minister of Transport is a cabinet member in the Government of France. The position was created in 1870 as a modification of that of the Minister of Public Works... - Xavier BertrandXavier BertrandXavier Bertrand is a French politician and Minister of Labour, Employment and Health. He was Minister of Health for almost two years in Dominique de Villepin's government under President Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Solidarity in François Fillon's second government...
– Minister of Health and SolidarityMinister of Health (France)Minister of Health and Solidarity is currently a cabinet position in the Government of France. The health portfolio oversees the healthcare public services and the health insurance part of the French Social Security... - Dominique BussereauDominique BussereauDominique Bussereau is a French politician, was Secretary of State for Transport within the government of François Fillon...
– Minister of Agriculture and FishingMinister of Agriculture (France)The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing of France is the governmental body charged with regulation and policy, for agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food.The department is headquartered in Hotel Villeroy, at No... - Christian JacobChristian Jacob (French politician)Christian Jacob was the Minister of French Civil Service in Jacques Chirac's second term as President of France...
– Minister of Civil Service - Renaud Donnedieu de VabresRenaud Donnedieu de VabresRenaud Donnedieu de Vabres , often known as RDDV, is a French politician, France's Minister of Culture from 2004 to 2007...
– Minister of Culture and CommunicationMinister of cultureA culture minister is a Cabinet position in some governments responsible for protecting the national heritage of a country and promoting cultural expression.... - Nelly OlinNelly OlinNelly Olin is a former Minister of Environment in France under De Villepin's government. From 2004 to 2005, Olin was the Minister-Delegate for Social Security. She is a Senator for the Oise department.-References:...
– Minister of Ecology and Sustainable DevelopmentMinister of the Environment (France)The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing is an agency of the government of France, centred around a cabinet member who is often referred to as the "Minister of Ecology". This position is occupied by Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet... - François BaroinFrançois BaroinFrançois Baroin is a French politician, recently appointed Finance Minister, following a stint as Minister of the Budget in the François Fillon III government...
– Minister of Overseas FranceMinister of Overseas FranceThe Minister of Overseas France is a cabinet member in the Government of France responsible for overseeing French overseas departments and territories .The position is currently held by Brice Hortefeux, who is also the Minister of the Interior... - Renaud DutreilRenaud DutreilRenaud Dutreil , is a French politician. He was Minister for the Civil Service 2004–2005 and previously Minister for Small Businesses and Enterprise, from 2002 to 2004. He was born in Chambéry, Savoie....
– Minister of Small Businesses, Commerce, Craftsmanship and Self-Employed Professionals - Jean-François LamourJean-François LamourJean-François Lamour is a former French fencer and current French politician and cabinet minister. A top fencer, he was a gold medallist at the 1984 Olympics and 1988 Olympics and a bronze medal winner at the 1992 Olympics in the men's individual sabre. He was also world champion in 1987...
– Minister of Youth, Sports, and Associative LifeMinister of Youth Affairs and Sports (France)The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national and public sport associations, youth affairs, public sports centers and national stadia...
Delegate ministers
- Henri CuqHenri CuqHenri Cuq was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Yvelines department, and was a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
, delegate minister for relationships with ParliamentParliament of FranceThe French Parliament is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate and the National Assembly . Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at a separate location in Paris: the Palais du Luxembourg for the Senate, the Palais Bourbon for the National Assembly.Each...
; - Azouz BegagAzouz BegagAzouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007...
, delegate minister for equal opportunities; - Jean-François CopéJean-François CopéJean-François Copé , is a French politician. He is currently Mayor of Meaux, Deputy for the 6th constituency of Seine-et-Marne, and acts as President of the Union for a Popular Movement Group in the French National Assembly...
, delegate minister for budget and the reform of the State, spokesman for the Government; - Gérard LarcherGérard LarcherGérard Larcher is a French politician who was President of the Senate of France from 2008 to 2011. A member of the center-right Union for a Popular Movement, he was a Senator for the Yvelines département from 1986 to 2004 and has been again since 2007.Larcher was born in Flers, Orne to a Catholic...
, delegate minister for employment, work, and the professional insertion of the young; - Catherine VautrinCatherine VautrinCatherine Vautrin is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the Marne department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
, delegate minister for social cohesion and parity [of the sexes]; - Brigitte Girardin, delegate minister for international cooperation, development and francophonie;
- Brice HortefeuxBrice HortefeuxBrice Hortefeux is a French politician he was Minister of the Interior, Overseas Territories and Territorial collectivities...
, delegate minister for local governments; - Catherine Colonna, delegate minister for European affairs;
- François GoulardFrançois GoulardFrançois Goulard is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Morbihan department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
, delegate minister for higher education and research; - Léon BertrandLéon BertrandLéon Bertrand is a French politician. Previously a professor of physics and biology, he is Mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni since 1983...
, delegate minister for tourism; - Philippe Bas, delegate minister for Social SecuritySocial securitySocial security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
, the elderly, the handicapped, and the family; - François LoosFrançois LoosFrançois Loos was appointed Minister Delegate for Industry on 2 June 2005, following a term as Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade...
, delegate minister for industry; - Christine LagardeChristine LagardeChristine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French lawyer and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since July 5, 2011...
, delegate minister for foreign commerce; - Hamlaoui Mékachéra, delegate minister for war veteranVeteranA veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s; - Christian EstrosiChristian EstrosiChristian Estrosi is a French politician of Italian origin, member of the French Parliament , mayor of Nice since 2008. He is a supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy....
, delegate minister for the management of the territory.
Shuffles
26 March 2007- Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
ceases to be Minister of the Interior and is replaced by François BaroinFrançois BaroinFrançois Baroin is a French politician, recently appointed Finance Minister, following a stint as Minister of the Budget in the François Fillon III government...
. - François BaroinFrançois BaroinFrançois Baroin is a French politician, recently appointed Finance Minister, following a stint as Minister of the Budget in the François Fillon III government...
ceases to be Minister of Overseas France and is replaced by Hervé MaritonHervé MaritonHervé Mariton is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Drôme department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-References:...
. - Xavier BertrandXavier BertrandXavier Bertrand is a French politician and Minister of Labour, Employment and Health. He was Minister of Health for almost two years in Dominique de Villepin's government under President Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Solidarity in François Fillon's second government...
ceases to be Minister of Health and Solidarity and is replaced by Philippe Bas.
5 April 2007
- Azouz BegagAzouz BegagAzouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007...
ceases to be delegate Minister for equal opportunities and is not replaced.
Resignation
On 15 May 2007, the last full day of President Jacques ChiracJacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
's term, Villepin tendered his resignation from the office of Prime Minister and it was accepted by the President. He was replaced two days later by François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
.
Context of Villepin's political career
Villepin has never held elected office; the French ConstitutionConstitution of France
The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, and replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from 1946. Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth...
allows the president to appoint unelected ministers. This is a political liability for him, because he is periodically accused of being out of touch with the realities of ordinary citizens. He is also reported to despise elected officials, calling members of Parliament connards (an insult). Villepin is not the first "unelected" prime minister, even in the relatively short history of the Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
: notable predecessors include Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
, who was a banker before being called to office, and Raymond Barre
Raymond Barre
Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three Presidents and later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981...
, who had a previous career as a professor and appointed official, and started an elected career only after being Prime minister.
Clearstream trial
On the first day of the civil trial for his part in the Clearstream Affair, Villepin accused Pres. Sarkozy of pursuing him for political reasons. Sarkozy has the status of a civil plaintiff in the case.On Thursday, 28 January 2010 the judgement was finally handed down and Villepin was acquitted of every accusation against him in the affair.
The following morning the prosecution announced that it would file an appeal against this verdict, thus further dragging out the affair another year. Villepin was finally cleared by an Appeals Court in September 2011.
République Solidaire and Presidential Run
In 2011, Villepin quit the UMP and set up a new party, République Solidaire and is considering running for president in the 2012 elections.Quotes
- L'option de la guerre peut apparaître a priori la plus rapide. Mais n'oublions pas qu'après avoir gagné la guerre, il faut construire la paix. ("The option of war might seem a priori to be the swiftest. But let us not forget that having won the war, one has to build peace." (address on Iraq at the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
on 14 February 2003, shortly before the US-led invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
) - "We need a strong policy to combat radical Islam. It is used as a breeding-ground for terrorism. We cannot afford not to watch them very closely." As Interior Minister, December 2004.
- "With the collapse of Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's regime, a dark era is drawing to a close. And we welcome it...Together we must now build peace in Iraq and for France this has to mean the United Nations having a central role. Together we must build peace throughout the region and this can be done only through the determined search for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
See also
- List of Foreign Ministers of France
- List of Interior Ministers of France
- List of Prime Ministers of France
- Politics of FrancePolitics of FranceFrance is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...