Jean-Pierre Raffarin

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Jean-Pierre Raffarin Template:Audio (born August 3, 1948) is a French conservative politician and senator of Vienne.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from May 6, 2002 to May 31, 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Mr Raffarin resigned, he said his decision was not based on the outcome of the vote. Opinion polls following his resignation suggested that Mr Raffarin was one of France's most unpopular prime ministers since the Fifth Republic was set up in 1958.

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Career

He was born in Poitiers. He studied law at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and later graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris business school.

He was appointed Prime Minister of France by President Jacques Chirac after the latter's re-election as President in the 2002 presidential election.

His political policies combined authority and moderate economical liberalism — that is, the support of laissez-faire economic policies. In 2003, he launched the reforms of the public retirement scheme and of decentralization, which led to many strikes. During the summer of 2003, the country experienced an unusual heat wave which caused the death of more than 13,000 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.

On March 28, 2004, the ruling UMP party suffered an important defeat during the regional elections, with all but one régions 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 March 30, 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).

On September 18, 2005, he was elected senator in the Vienne département. Speculation is that he could eventually try to become President of the Senate. Raffarin is Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur (Legion of Honor) and Grand-Croix de l'ordre national du Merite (National Order of Merit).

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International policies

In September 2004 the US conservative blogosphere erupted with criticism of France when a New York Post opinion piece claimed that Le Figaro reported that Raffarin said "the Iraqi insurgents are our best allies". There is no trace of this quote in Le Figaro, and the opinion piece is no longer available from the NYP website.

Yet, the New York Post article by Amir Taheri from October 6, 2004 is still online on the website of the - presumably neo-conservative - American "Frontpage Magazine". [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=15391 ]

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". [1] [2] Foreign Affairs being by constitutional convention one of the President's solely responsibilities, it is safe to assume that these remarks were made at President Chirac's demand.

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Raffarin's First Government

7 May 2002 - 31 March 2004 (called Raffarin I until June 17, and became Raffarin II)

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Minor Changes

17 June 2002

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Raffarin's Second Government

31 March 2004 - 29 November 2004 (called Raffarin III)

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Minor changes

29 November 2004 - Nicolas Sarkozy left to be the president of the UMP. Thus there was a reshuffle.


25 February 2005 - following a scandal forcing Hervé Gaymard resignation.

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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 - archiduchess of Austria - and prime minister cardinal de Mazarin, before king Louis XIV's personnal reign) sang to mock the unpopular prime minister.

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See also

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External links

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References

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