Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005 under President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

. He resigned after France's rejection of the

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin resigned, he said that his decision was not based on the outcome of the vote. Opinion polls following his resignation suggested that Raffarin was one of France's least popular prime ministers since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958. However, according to the book ''France: 1815–2003'', written by Martin Evans and Emmanuel Godin, Raffarin was "a remarkably popular Prime Minister" despite his ability "to state the obvious and to make empty statements". He was also Vice President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014.

Early life

Born 3 August 1948, Raffarin grew up in

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

, the son of a prominent national figure: his father Jean Raffarin was vice-minister of Agriculture in the government of Pierre Mendès France (1954–1955). He studied law at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas and later graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris. He started his professional career in marketing. In the 1970s, his first political commitment was in the association of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's young supporters. Defining himself as a "''giscardien''", he joined the staff of Lionel Stoléru, Secretary of state for Manual Workers and Immigration, and the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the centre-right confederation the

Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy ( ; UDF) was a centre-right political party in France. The UDF was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over ...

(UDF).

Political career

In the 1980s, he started a career in local politics in Poitou-Charentes region. With the support of René Monory, the local political leader, he took the chair of the regional council in 1988. Seven years later, he was elected senator of Vienne ''département''. Governmental functions *Prime Minister : 2002–2005. *Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Craft : 1995–1997. Electoral mandates ''European Parliament'' *Member of

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

: 1989–1995 (Became minister in 1995). Reelected in 1994. ''Senate of France'' *Senator of Vienne : Elected in 1995, but he stays minister / 1997–2002 (became prime pinister in 2002) / Re-elected in 2004, but he stays prime Minister / Since 2005. Elected in 1995, re-elected in 1997, 2004, 2005, 2008. ''Regional Council'' *President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes : 1988–2002 (Resignation). Re-elected in 1992, 1998. *Vice-President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes : 2002–2004. *Regional councillor of Poitou-Charentes : 1986–2004. Reelected in 1992, 1998. ''Municipal Council'' *Deputy-mayor of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou : 1995–2001. *Municipal councillor of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou : 1995–2001. *Municipal councillor of

: 1977–1995. Re-elected in 1983, 1989. Political functions *Vice-President of the

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement ( ; UMP ) was a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in France, political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullism, Gaullist tradition. During its existence, the UMP was o ...

: Since 2007.

In Government

During the 1995 presidential campaign, while most UDF politicians supported

Édouard Balladur Édouard Balladur (; born 2 May 1929) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, co ...

, he chose the winning candidacy of

. In return, he was nominated Minister of Small and Medium-sized Companies, Commerce and Craft Industry in

Alain Juppé Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced major strikes that paralysed the c ...

's cabinet (1995–1997). At the same time, the pro-Chirac UDF members founded the Popular Party for French Democracy. Then, he returned in the Republican Party, became

Liberal Democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...

(DL) in 1997. He was vice-president of DL until 2002.

Prime minister

During the 2002 presidential campaign, he advocated the union of the right behind the incumbent President Chirac. After his re-election, Chirac wished to give a sign of political renewal. Furthermore, elected in a special second round by a majority of left-wing voters, he searched for a moderate to lead the cabinet and the June 2002 legislative campaign. Raffarin participated in the formation of the

(UMP). He criticized the American-led intervention in Iraq. His political policies combined

authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...

and moderate economical liberalism – that is, the support of

laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( , from , ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, ''laissez-faire'' ...

economic policies. In 2003 he launched reforms of the public retirement scheme and of decentralisation, which led to many strikes. During the summer of 2003 the country experienced an unusual

heat wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

which caused the death of nearly 15,000 people. The perceived late reaction of the government was blamed on his administration. In 2004 he began a reform of the French state-run health-care system. Raffarin's governments were known for their internal quarrels with various ministers taking opposite positions in public. The alleged lack of authority of the Prime Minister was mocked by the media. On 28 March 2004 the ruling UMP party suffered an important defeat during the regional elections, with all but one '' région'' out of 22 of mainland France going to the opposition ( PS, PCF, Les Verts). This was generally interpreted, including by Raffarin himself in his post-election speech, as "a sign of distrust against the government from the electorate". On 30 March 2004 Jean-Pierre Raffarin tendered the resignation of his government to president Jacques Chirac, who immediately re-appointed him prime minister, with the delegation to form a new government. This major cabinet reshuffle removed some of its most controversial ministers like Luc Ferry (education) or Jean-François Mattei (health).

Resignation

Raffarin's resignation was accepted by President Chirac on 30 May 2005, after the "no" victory at the European Constitution referendum, and he was replaced as prime minister by Dominique de Villepin. On 18 September 2005, he was elected Senator in the Vienne ''département''. Speculation were that he could eventually try to become

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

or President of the

if Nicolas Sarkozy won the 2007 presidential election. He became one of the Vice presidents of the UMP in 2007. In September 2008, he sought the Senate UMP fraction's investiture to become President of the Senate, but was defeated by Gérard Larcher. Raffarin is Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and Grand Cross of National Order of Merit.

International policies

During a state visit to China on 21 April 2005 he avoided opposing the new "anti-secession" law on Taiwan, stating that "The anti-secession law is completely compatible with the position of France" and "The position of France has always been to 'one China' and we will remain attached to this position". On the embargo on weapons, he stated that "France continues to ask for a lifting of the embargo, and does not see what could lead the European Council to change position on that question". By convention, foreign affairs are one of the President's—and not the Prime Minister's—sole responsibilities.

Governments

First ministry (May–June 2002)

* Jean-Pierre Raffarin – Prime Minister * Dominique de Villepin – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Francophonie *

Michèle Alliot-Marie Michèle Yvette Marie-Thérèse Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie (; born 10 September 1946), known in France as MAM, is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France. She is a member of the The Republicans (France), Rep ...

– Minister of Defense and Veterans * Nicolas Sarkozy – Minister of the Interior, Interior Security, and Local Liberties * Francis Mer – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry * François Fillon – Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, and Solidarity * Dominique Perben – Minister of Justice * Luc Ferry – Minister of National Education, Youth, Higher Education, and Research * Jean-Jacques Aillagon – Minister of Culture and Communication * Hervé Gaymard – Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs * Roselyne Bachelot – Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development *

Tokia Saïfi Tokia Afféda Saïfi (born 11 July 1959 in Hautmont, Nord (French department), Nord) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the North-West of France from 1999 until 2019. She is a member of the Radical Party ( ...

– Minister Delegate of Sustainable Development * Jean-François Lamour – Minister of Sport * Brigitte Girardin – Minister of Overseas * Gilles de Robien – Minister of Transport, Housing, Tourism, Sea, and Equipment * Jean-François Mattéi – Minister of Health, Family, and Handicapped People * Jean-Paul Delevoye – Minister of Civil Service, Reform of the State, and Regional Planning * Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres – Minister of European affairs

Second ministry (2002–2004)

*Jean-Pierre Raffarin – Prime Minister * Dominique de Villepin – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of Defense * Nicolas Sarkozy – Minister of the Interior, Interior Security, and Local Liberties * Francis Mer – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry * François Fillon – Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, and Solidarity * Dominique Perben – Minister of Justice * Luc Ferry – Minister of National Education, Youth, Higher Education, and Research * Jean-Jacques Aillagon – Minister of Culture and Communication * Hervé Gaymard – Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs * Roselyne Bachelot – Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development *

Third ministry (2004–2005)

*Jean-Pierre Raffarin – Prime Minister * Michel Barnier – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of Defense * Dominique de Villepin – Minister of the Interior, Interior Security, and Local Liberties * Nicolas Sarkozy – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry * Jean-Louis Borloo – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Social Cohesion * Dominique Perben – Minister of Justice * François Fillon – Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research **

François d'Aubert François d'Aubert (born 31 October 1943, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French politician. He is an auditor at the Court of Audit (France), Court of Audit. From 2002, he was minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government. ...

– Minister delegate of Research * Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres – Minister of Culture and Communication * Hervé Gaymard – Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fish, and Rural Affairs * Serge Lepeltier – Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development * Jean-François Lamour – Minister of Youth, Sport, and Community Life * Brigitte Girardin – Minister of Overseas * Gilles de Robien – Minister of Transport, Tourism, Regional Planning, Sea, and Equipment * Philippe Douste-Blazy – Minister of Health and Social Protection * Marie-Josée Roig – Minister of Family and Childhood * Renaud Dutreil – Minister of Civil Service and Reform of the State * Nicole Ameline – Minister of Parity and Professional Equality

Minor changes

29 November 2004 – following a Nicolas Sarkozy's resignation to become president of the UMP scandal forcing Hervé Gaymard resignation. *Hervé Gaymard – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry (replaced Nicolas Sarkozy) * Dominique Bussereau – Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fish, and Rural Affairs (replaced Hervé Gaymard) 25 February 2005 – following a scandal forcing Gaymard's resignation * Thierry Breton – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry

Raffarinades

Jean-Pierre Raffarin was often teased for his optimistic aphorisms, known colloquially and ironically as ''raffarinades'', the best known being ''La route est droite, mais la pente est forte'' ("The road is straight, but the slope is steep"). Some consider that the word ''raffarinade'' was created in reference to the other French word ''mazarinade''. However, ''mazarinade'' refers to the songs that the ''frondeurs'' (French revolutionaries during the ''Régence'' of Queen Anne – Archduchess of Austria – and chief minister Cardinal de Mazarin, before king Louis XIV's personal reign) sang to mock the unpopular chief minister. Raffarin also tried his English prior to the referendum on the European draft Constitution but this turned out to be an ill-advised idea, as shown in this famous excerpt from his speech: "Win the yes needs the no to win against the no." The referendum itself was eventually nicknamed ''le Raffarindum'' by its opponents while '' Journée de solidarité envers les personnes âgées'' (''Day of solidarity with the elderly'') is sometimes referred to as ''la Saint-Raffarin'' by discontented workers (following a decision by Raffarin, French workers are supposed to work on Whit Monday for free, but public transportation still uses its "Sundays and holidays" timetable).

Honours

References

External links

Official biography (in French)

BBC Profile (in English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raffarin, Jean-Pierre 1948 births Living people People from Poitiers The Republicans (France) politicians Republican Party (France) politicians Liberal Democracy (France) politicians Democratic Convention (France) politicians Union for a Popular Movement politicians Modern and Humanist France Prime ministers of France Ministers of commerce and industry of France Vice-presidents of the Senate (France) MEPs for France 1989–1994 MEPs for France 1994–1999 Officers of the National Order of Quebec Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University alumni ESCP Business School alumni Senators of Vienne (department)