Michel Poniatowski
Encyclopedia
Michel Poniatowski was a Polish
Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health
from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior
in the d'Estaing government from 1974 to 1977. He was a founder and honorary president of the Union for French Democracy
(Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF).
Poniatowski attended the ENA
for finance and began his career in Morocco
, later becoming a finance attaché in Washington, DC in 1956. In 1958, he became the chief of staff for Pierre Pflimlin
, the last president of the Council of the Fourth Republic
before Charles de Gaulle
. From 1959 to 1962, he was the chief of staff for prime minister Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
, then chargé de mission (1962–65), and finally director of Insurances at the Minister of Finance from 1963 to 1967.
(RI) party, and became an RI deputy for the Val-d'Oise
in 1967, as well as the general secretary of the Confederation of the Independents before taking the presidency of the party's successor, the Republican Party
, in 1975. He was elected mayor of L'Isle-Adam (France) in 1971. Bernard Lehideux
served Poniatowski as of his office in 1969. Poniatowski was then named Minister of Public Health and Social Security
from 5 April 1973 to 27 May 1974, under the government of Pierre Messmer
.
on 24 May 1974, and served the post until 1977. Considered as the main organisator of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
's victory at the 1974 presidential election
, he was named Minister of State
and Minister of the Interior
on 27 May, which changed the official protocol of the Republic: the most important minister was not anymore the Minister of Justice
. Although he was a strong-handed Interior Minister, he suppressed the personal registers (fiches signalétiques) which customers of a hotel were to sign (a custom in force in many countries).
In August 1975, he sent the military
to repress the nationalist rebellion headed by Corsica
n Edmond Simeoni who had illegally occupied a wine cave
in Aleria
. Two "gendarmes
" were killed during the assault, leading him, along with Jacques Chirac
, of being accused of a large part of the responsibility in the violence which then hit Corsica.
Following the assassination of Jean de Broglie
, a Giscardian deputy, L'Express
(January 1977) and then Le Canard enchaîné
, in 1980, published documents alleging that Poniatowski had known in advance of the death threats on de Broglie, and had not acted accordingly. The satirical newspaper recalled that de Broglie had been treasurer of the Independent Republicans, and tied to the Matesa scandal, which allegedly funded the RI. Soon after this affair, and the failure of the right-wing at the March 1977 municipal elections, Poniatowski quit the Ministry of Interior and would not be called again as minister.
and tried to rivalize with Jacques Chirac
's neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic
(RPR). Until 1981, Michel Poniatowski was ambassador and personal representant of president Giscard. He was a MEP
from 1979 to 1989, and presided in the European Parliament
the Commission on Development and Cooperation (1979–1984) then the Commission on Energy, Research and Technology (1984).
Poniatowski approved in September 1983 the merger of the electoral list RPR
-UDF with the far-right National Front (FN) party, headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen
, during the partial municipal election of Dreux
. He stated: "The fascist danger in France does not come from the right, but from the left, of which it is its spiritual vocation and method. One must therefore vote against the fascists of the left."
Poniatowski was then senator
of the Val-d'Oise
from 1989 to 1995, and continued to advocate in favour of electoral agreements with the National Front, taking model on the (difficult) relationship between the Socialist Party
(PS) and the Communist Party
(PCF). An atypic member of the UDF, which he had co-founded, he was first ignored by his colleagues for his support of the far-right – the National Front's ascension is usually dated from the 1983 Dreux elections. After his support for electoral agreements with the FN during the 1992 regional elections and the 1993 legislative elections, he was finally disavowed by his fellow party members end of 1991, although he was neither excluded nor deprived of his honorable presidency function.
As many members of the right-wing, he supported Edouard Balladur
against Chirac during the 1995 presidential election
. Three years later, he participated to the right-wing party of Charles Millon
, excluded from the UDF for the same reasons as Poniatowski, and they founded the Droite libérale-chrétienne (Liberal-Christian Right) which continued to ally itself with the National Front.
Poniatowski finally retreated from political life in 1999, replaced as mayor of L'Isle-Adam
by his son Axel Poniatowski
. He then died three years later, on 15 January 2002.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health
Minister 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...
from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior
Minister 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...
in the d'Estaing government from 1974 to 1977. He was a founder and honorary president of the Union for French Democracy
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
(Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF).
Biography and early career
Poniatowski descended from the Polish Royal Family, which included one of Napoleon's Marshalls, Joseph Poniatowski. His parents were Prince Charles-Casimir Poniatowski and Princess Anne de Caraman-Chimay.Poniatowski attended the ENA
École 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...
for finance and began his career in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, later becoming a finance attaché in Washington, DC in 1956. In 1958, he became the chief of staff for Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin was a French Christian democratic politician who served as the penultimate Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the crisis of that year.-Life:...
, the last president of the Council of the Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
before Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. From 1959 to 1962, he was the chief of staff for prime minister Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
, then chargé de mission (1962–65), and finally director of Insurances at the Minister of Finance from 1963 to 1967.
1970s
Poniatowski took a founding part in the Independent RepublicansIndependent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
(RI) party, and became an RI deputy for the Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
in 1967, as well as the general secretary of the Confederation of the Independents before taking the presidency of the party's successor, the Republican Party
Republican Party (France)
The Republican Party was a French right-wing political party founded in 1977. It replaced the National Federation of the Independent Republicans that was founded in 1966. It was created by former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing...
, in 1975. He was elected mayor of L'Isle-Adam (France) in 1971. Bernard Lehideux
Bernard Lehideux
Bernard Lehideux is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Île-de-France. He is a member of the Union for French Democracy, which is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social...
served Poniatowski as of his office in 1969. Poniatowski was then named Minister of Public Health and Social Security
Minister 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...
from 5 April 1973 to 27 May 1974, under the government of Pierre Messmer
Pierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
.
Minister of the Interior and State Minister (1974–1977)
Poniatowski succeeded 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...
on 24 May 1974, and served the post until 1977. Considered as the main organisator of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
's victory at the 1974 presidential election
French presidential election, 1974
Presidential elections were held in :France in 1974, following the death of President Georges Pompidou. They went to a second round, and were won by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing by a margin of 1.6%...
, he was named Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister 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...
and Minister of the Interior
Minister 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...
on 27 May, which changed the official protocol of the Republic: the most important minister was not anymore the Minister of Justice
Minister 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...
. Although he was a strong-handed Interior Minister, he suppressed the personal registers (fiches signalétiques) which customers of a hotel were to sign (a custom in force in many countries).
In August 1975, he sent the military
Military of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
to repress the nationalist rebellion headed by Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n Edmond Simeoni who had illegally occupied a wine cave
Wine cave
Wine caves are subterranean structures for the storage and aging of wine. They are an integral component of the wine industry world wide. The design and construction of wine caves represents a unique application of underground construction techniques....
in Aleria
Aléria
Aléria is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica...
. Two "gendarmes
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
" were killed during the assault, leading him, along with 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...
, of being accused of a large part of the responsibility in the violence which then hit Corsica.
Following the assassination of Jean de Broglie
Jean de Broglie
Prince Jean Marie François Ferdinand de Broglie was a French politician.Born in Paris, he was one of the negotiators of the Évian Accords....
, a Giscardian deputy, L'Express
L'Express (France)
L'Express is a French weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modelled on the US magazine TIME.-History:...
(January 1977) and then Le Canard enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné is a satirical newspaper published weekly in France. Founded in 1915, it features investigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and humorous cartoons.-Early...
, in 1980, published documents alleging that Poniatowski had known in advance of the death threats on de Broglie, and had not acted accordingly. The satirical newspaper recalled that de Broglie had been treasurer of the Independent Republicans, and tied to the Matesa scandal, which allegedly funded the RI. Soon after this affair, and the failure of the right-wing at the March 1977 municipal elections, Poniatowski quit the Ministry of Interior and would not be called again as minister.
1980s
Poniatowski was a founding member, in 1978, of the Union for a French Democracy (UDF), the liberal and Christian-Democrat party which backed Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
and tried to rivalize with 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 neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
(RPR). Until 1981, Michel Poniatowski was ambassador and personal representant of president Giscard. He was a MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
from 1979 to 1989, and presided in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
the Commission on Development and Cooperation (1979–1984) then the Commission on Energy, Research and Technology (1984).
Poniatowski approved in September 1983 the merger of the electoral list RPR
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
-UDF with the far-right National Front (FN) party, headed by Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
, during the partial municipal election of Dreux
Dreux
Dreux is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-History:Dreux was known in ancient times as Durocassium, the capital of the Durocasses Celtic tribe. Despite the legend, its name was not related with Druids. The Romans established here a fortified camp known as Castrum...
. He stated: "The fascist danger in France does not come from the right, but from the left, of which it is its spiritual vocation and method. One must therefore vote against the fascists of the left."
Poniatowski was then senator
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...
of the Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
from 1989 to 1995, and continued to advocate in favour of electoral agreements with the National Front, taking model on the (difficult) relationship between the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
(PS) and the Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF). An atypic member of the UDF, which he had co-founded, he was first ignored by his colleagues for his support of the far-right – the National Front's ascension is usually dated from the 1983 Dreux elections. After his support for electoral agreements with the FN during the 1992 regional elections and the 1993 legislative elections, he was finally disavowed by his fellow party members end of 1991, although he was neither excluded nor deprived of his honorable presidency function.
As many members of the right-wing, he supported Edouard 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...
against Chirac during the 1995 presidential election
French presidential election, 1995
Presidential elections took place in France on 23 April and 7 May 1995, to elect the fifth president of the Fifth Republic.The incumbent Socialist president, François Mitterrand, did not stand for a third term. He was 78, had cancer, and his party had lost the previous legislative election in a...
. Three years later, he participated to the right-wing party of Charles Millon
Charles Millon
Charles Marie Philippe Millon, born on 13 November 1945 in Belley, Ain, is a French politician. A member of the UDF, he was member of the French parliament for Ain and President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council. He was Minister of Defence from 1995 to 1997 in Alain Juppé's government, and led...
, excluded from the UDF for the same reasons as Poniatowski, and they founded the Droite libérale-chrétienne (Liberal-Christian Right) which continued to ally itself with the National Front.
Poniatowski finally retreated from political life in 1999, replaced as mayor of L'Isle-Adam
L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise
L'Isle-Adam is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
by his son Axel Poniatowski
Axel Poniatowski
Axel Poniatowski is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Val d'Oise department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.-Biography:...
. He then died three years later, on 15 January 2002.