Édouard Balladur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Édouard Balladur
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Balladur in 1993
|
|
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 29 March 1993 – 17 May 1995 |
|
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| Succeeded by | Alain Juppé |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 20 March 1986 – 12 May 1988 |
|
| Prime Minister | Jacques Chirac |
| Preceded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| General Secretary of the President | |
| In office 5 April 1973 – 2 April 1974 |
|
| President | Georges Pompidou |
| Preceded by | Michel Jobert |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Beck |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Édouard Léon Raoul Balladur
2 May 1929 İzmir, Turkey |
| Political party | LR (2015–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
UNR (1964–1967) UDR (1967–1976) RPR (1976–2002) UMP (2002–2015) |
| Spouse |
Marie-Josèphe Delacour
(m. 1957) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Aix-Marseille University Institut d'études politiques de Paris École nationale d'administration |
Édouard Balladur (born 2 May 1929) is a French politician. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1993 to 1995. During this time, François Mitterrand was the President. Balladur also ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, but he did not win.
Contents
Biography
Édouard Balladur was born in İzmir, Turkey. His family had Armenian roots and strong connections to France. In the 1930s, his family, including his five siblings, moved to Marseille, France.
In 1957, Balladur married Marie-Josèphe Delacour. They had four sons together.
Early Political Career
Balladur started his career in politics in 1964. He became an advisor to Prime Minister Georges Pompidou. When Pompidou became President of France in 1969, Balladur continued to work closely with him. He served as a top assistant until Pompidou's death in 1974.
Balladur returned to politics in the 1980s. He supported Jacques Chirac, another important politician. Balladur was part of the Rally for the Republic (RPR) party. He helped explain how the government could work when the president and prime minister were from different parties. This was called "cohabitation."
From 1986 to 1988, Balladur was the Minister of the Economy and Finance. He introduced economic policies that were similar to those in the United States and the United Kingdom at the time. He sold off several companies that the government owned, like banks and TV channels. He also worked to reduce government spending.
Balladur was seen as a very important minister in Chirac's government. He helped Chirac and the RPR party adopt more modern economic ideas. Even after Chirac lost the 1988 presidential election, Balladur kept Chirac's trust.
Prime Minister
In 1993, the RPR party won the election. Jacques Chirac chose not to become prime minister again. So, Édouard Balladur was appointed Prime Minister. He faced a challenging economy.
Balladur continued his economic policies from 1986. He privatized more companies, meaning he sold them from government ownership to private companies. He was known for being a calm and traditional leader.
He also believed that nuclear tests were important for France's defense. This was a point where he disagreed with President Mitterrand.
Some of his ministers faced issues, and Balladur made sure they resigned. He was known for taking these matters seriously.
1995 Presidential Election
When Balladur became prime minister, he had promised Jacques Chirac that he would not run for president in 1995. He said he would support Chirac. However, many politicians encouraged Balladur to run. He decided to break his promise and enter the election.
When he announced his candidacy, he was very popular in the polls. He was ahead of Chirac by a lot. But Chirac started to criticize Balladur, saying he represented old ideas. The gap in the polls quickly closed.
In the first round of the election, Balladur came in third place. He was behind the Socialist candidate, Lionel Jospin, and Jacques Chirac. This meant Balladur was out of the race. Chirac went on to win the election.
After the election, Chirac chose Alain Juppé to be the new prime minister. Balladur's decision to run against Chirac made their long friendship difficult. Many politicians who had supported Balladur were not given important roles in the new government.
Later Political Career
After the 1995 election, Balladur tried for other political roles. He ran for the head of the Île-de-France region in 1998 but did not win. He also tried to become the mayor of Paris in 2001 and the head of the French National Assembly in 2002, but he was not successful.
From 2002 to 2007, he led the foreign affairs committee in the National Assembly. Balladur had always wanted the right-wing parties to join together. In 2002, Chirac finally made this happen by creating the Union for a Popular Movement party.
In 2007, after Nicolas Sarkozy became president, Balladur was asked to lead a committee. This group worked on changing France's constitution. The changes were approved in 2008.
Balladur also had experience in business. He was the president of the French company that managed the Mont Blanc Tunnel from 1968 to 1980. He also led a computer services company.
In 2006, he announced he would not run for Parliament again. He retired from his role as a member of Parliament for Paris in 2007.
In 2008, Balladur visited the United States to talk about his ideas for a "Union of the West." He wrote a book about this concept.
Balladur was sometimes shown in the media as being a bit distant or proud.
Political Offices Held
- Government Roles
- Prime Minister: 1993–1995.
- Minister of Economy and Finances: 1986–1988.
- Elected Positions
- National Assembly of France
- Member of Parliament for Paris: 1986, 1988–1993, 1995–2007.
- Regional Council
- Regional Councillor for Ile-de-France: 1998.
- City Council
- Councillor for Paris: 1989–2008.
Cabinet
(29 March 1993–17 May 1995)
- Édouard Balladur – Prime Minister
- Alain Juppé – Minister of Foreign Affairs
- François Léotard – Minister of Defense
- Charles Pasqua – Minister of the Interior and Regional Planning
- Edmond Alphandéry – Minister of Economy
- Nicolas Sarkozy – Minister of the Budget and Government Spokesman
- Gérard Longuet – Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade, Posts, and Telecommunications
- Michel Giraud – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Vocational Training
- Pierre Méhaignerie – Minister of Justice
- François Bayrou – Minister of National Education
- Philippe Mestre – Minister of Veterans and War Victims
- Jacques Toubon – Minister of Culture and Francophonie
- Jean Puech – Minister of Agriculture and Fish
- Michèle Alliot-Marie – Minister of Youth and Sports
- Dominique Perben – Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories
- Bernard Bosson – Minister of Transport, Tourism, and Equipment
- Simone Veil – Minister of Social Affairs, Health, and City
- Michel Roussin – Minister of Cooperation
- Hervé de Charette – Minister of Housing
- Alain Carignon – Minister of Communication
- André Rossinot – Minister of Civil Service
- Alain Madelin – Minister of Companies and Economic Development
- François Fillon – Minister of Higher Education and Research
Cabinet Changes
- 19 July 1994 – Minister of Communication Alain Carignon left the Cabinet.
- 17 October 1994 – José Rossi took over as Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade, Posts, and Telecommunications.
- 12 November 1994 – Bernard Debré became Minister of Cooperation.
Filmography
- 2011: Mort d'un président by Pierre Aknine: played by Cyrille Eldin
Images for kids
-
Balladur in 1993
See also
In Spanish: Édouard Balladur para niños
