Bruno Mégret facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruno Mégret
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1989–1999 |
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| Constituency | France |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 1986–1988 |
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| Constituency | Isère |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 April 1949 Paris, France |
| Political party | MNR (1998–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
FN (1988–1998) CAR (1982–1988) RPR (1976–1982) |
Bruno Mégret was born on April 4, 1949. He is a French former politician who led a political party called the Mouvement National Républicain. He stopped being involved in politics in 2008.
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Early Life and Education
Bruno Mégret was born in Paris, France. He went to two important engineering schools: the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. After his studies, he became a senior civil servant, which means he worked for the government.
He also earned a Master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. He is also a reserve army captain, having graduated from a special armored cavalry school.
When he tried to get into École Polytechnique in 1969, he was ranked 317th. Only 300 students were usually accepted. However, some students chose other schools, so he was able to get in. He worked very hard and finished 18th in his class. This allowed him to choose where to complete his engineering studies. After graduating, he studied in Berkeley for a year. Then he returned to France to work for the Ministry of Equipment.
Joining the Club de l'Horloge
In 1975, Bruno Mégret met Yvan Blot, who invited him to join a group called the Club de l'Horloge. This club was a place where people discussed ideas. There, he became friends with Jean-Claude Bardet and Jean-Yves Le Gallou.
In 1977, Mégret started working as an engineer, building highways. During this time, he also wrote for the Club de l'Horloge's publications. In 1979, he became an advisor to a government minister. He also joined a conservative political party called the Rassemblement pour la République. In 1981, he ran for election but did not win.
After the conservative parties lost the elections in 1981, Mégret felt his party was too moderate. He also realized that not having gone to a specific top school was slowing down his political career. So, he decided to create his own group called the Comités d'Action Républicaine (CAR). However, a new party, the Front National, became popular in 1984. This made it difficult for CAR to succeed.
Time in the National Front and MNR
In 1985, Bruno Mégret joined the National Front (FN), which was a nationalist political party led by Jean-Marie Le Pen. In 1986, he was elected to the French National Assembly, representing the Isère region.
He became a very important person in the party, helping with Le Pen's election campaign in 1987. He became the second-in-command of the party. From 1989 to 1999, he was a member of the European Parliament for the FN.
In 1989, Mégret started several organizations within the Front National. These included an training institute, a study center, a magazine, and a publishing house. Their goal was to develop and share the ideas of the Front National. His friends from the Club de l'Horloge also got important jobs in the party.
However, over time, the relationship between Le Pen and Mégret became difficult. Mégret and others in the party felt that Le Pen's strong views were stopping the party from gaining more power. Mégret also became very popular with party members.
In 1997, Bruno Mégret's wife, Catherine Mégret, was elected mayor of Vitrolles. Mégret also worked on a plan to create new unions and professional groups linked to the Front National. This was a new approach for the party, which had usually been against unions.
In 1998, Mégret left the Front National. He then started a new party with Jean-Yves Le Gallou, called the Mouvement National Républicain.
In the 2002 French presidential election, Mégret received a small percentage of the votes. He supported Jean-Marie Le Pen in the second round of that election. He also supported Le Pen in the 2007 presidential election.
In 2008, Bruno Mégret resigned from politics. This happened after he was found guilty of misusing public money. He had used money from the town of Vitrolles to help with his 2002 presidential campaign. He received a probation sentence and a fine.
In 2022, he supported Éric Zemmour in the 2022 French presidential election. Mégret believed Zemmour represented the right path for their ideas and for France. He also criticized Marine Le Pen, who now leads the party, saying she had made the party too "normal" and less firm on issues like security.
Political Roles
Bruno Mégret held several important political positions:
- He was a member of the National Assembly of France for Isère from 1986 to 1988.
- He was a member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999.
- He served as a regional councillor for Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur from 1992 to 2001.
- He was a municipal councillor for Marseille from 2002 to 2008.
- He was the President of the National Republican Movement from 1998 to 2008.
See also
In Spanish: Bruno Mégret para niños
