François Fillon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids François Fillon
Fillon in 2010
Prime Minister of France
In office 17 May 2007 – 15 May 2012
President	Nicolas Sarkozy
Preceded by	Dominique de Villepin
Succeeded by	Jean-Marc Ayrault
Member of the National Assembly for Paris's 2nd constituency
In office 20 June 2012 – 20 June 2017
Preceded by	Jean Tiberi
Succeeded by	Gilles Le Gendre
Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing
In office 23 February 2012 – 16 May 2012
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet
Succeeded by	Nicole Bricq (Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy)
Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research
In office 31 March 2004 – 31 May 2005
Prime Minister	Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Preceded by	Luc Ferry (National Education and Research) François Loos (Higher Education)
Succeeded by	Gilles de Robien
Minister of Social Affairs, Labour and Solidarity
In office 7 May 2002 – 30 March 2004
Prime Minister	Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Preceded by	Élisabeth Guigou
Succeeded by	Jean-Louis Borloo
President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire
In office 20 March 1998 – 16 May 2002
Preceded by	Olivier Guichard
Succeeded by	Jean-Luc Harousseau
Minister delegate for Posts, Telecommunications and Space
In office 7 November 1995 – 2 June 1997
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé
Preceded by	Himself (Information Technologies and Posts)
Succeeded by	Christian Pierret
Minister of Information Technologies and Posts
In office 18 May 1995 – 7 November 1995
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé
Preceded by	José Rossi (Industry, Posts and Telecommunications and External Trade)
Succeeded by	Franck Borotra (Industry, Posts and Telecommunications) Himself (Information Technologies and Posts)
Minister of Higher Education and Research
In office 30 March 1993 – 11 May 1995
Prime Minister	Édouard Balladur
Preceded by	Hubert Curien (Research)
Succeeded by	François Bayrou
Member of the National Assembly for Sarthe's 4th constituency
In office 20 June 2007 – 19 July 2007
Preceded by	Marc Joulaud
Succeeded by	Marc Joulaud
In office 12 June 1997 – 19 July 2002
Preceded by	Pierre Lefebvre
Succeeded by	Marc Joulaud
In office 2 July 1981 – 1 May 1993
Preceded by	René Pailler
Succeeded by	Pierre Lefebvre
President of the General Council of Sarthe
In office 20 April 1992 – 20 March 1998
Preceded by	Michel d'Aillières
Succeeded by	Roland du Luart
Personal details
Born	François Charles Amand Fillon (1954-03-04) 4 March 1954 (age 71) Le Mans, France
Political party	The Republicans (since 2015)
Other political affiliations	Rally for the Republic (until 2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2015)
Spouse	Penelope Clarke ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	5
Alma mater	University of Maine Paris Descartes University
Signature

François Charles Amand Fillon (born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician. He is best known for serving as the Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012. He worked alongside President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Fillon was a member of a centre-right political party called The Republicans. He was chosen as his party's candidate for the 2017 French presidential election. However, he finished third in the first round of voting and did not advance.

Before becoming prime minister, Fillon held several important government jobs. He was the Minister of Labour, where he made changes to France's work and retirement laws. He also served as the Minister of National Education.

After his time as prime minister, Fillon ran for president in 2017. He was seen as a strong candidate at first. But his campaign was hit by a major controversy known as "Penelopegate," which involved payments made to his wife. This hurt his popularity, and he lost the election.

After leaving politics, Fillon worked for private companies.

Early Life and Education

François Fillon was born on March 4, 1954, in Le Mans, a city in the Sarthe region of France. His father was a legal professional, and his mother was a history professor. He has two younger brothers. One is the president of the car club that runs the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and the other is a jazz pianist.

Fillon went to college at the University of Maine in Le Mans, where he earned a degree in public law in 1976. He continued his studies at Paris Descartes University in Paris.

A Career in Politics

Fillon was involved in French politics for many years. He held jobs at the local, regional, and national levels.

Early Political Steps

Fillon's political career began in the Sarthe region where he grew up. In 1981, at the age of 27, he was elected to the National Assembly, which is one of the two houses of the French Parliament. He was one of its youngest members at the time.

From 1983 to 2001, he was the mayor of the town of Sablé-sur-Sarthe. He also served as the President of the General Council of Sarthe from 1992 to 1998.

Working in the Government

In the 1990s and 2000s, Fillon was appointed to several minister positions in the French government. A minister is in charge of a specific government department.

• Minister of Higher Education and Research (1993–1995)
• Minister of Social Affairs, Labour and Solidarity (2002–2004): In this role, he worked on changing the laws about the 35-hour workweek and the French retirement system.
• Minister of National Education (2004–2005): He introduced a new law on education that led to many debates.

Prime Minister of France

François Fillon speaking in Warsaw, Poland.

François Fillon speaking at the National Assembly in 2007.

In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France. He chose François Fillon to be his prime minister. The prime minister is the head of the government and is responsible for carrying out the president's policies.

Fillon served as prime minister for five years, until Sarkozy was defeated in the 2012 French presidential election. When François Hollande became the new president, Fillon resigned, and Jean-Marc Ayrault was appointed to replace him.

2017 Presidential Election

After his time as prime minister, Fillon decided to run for president himself.

Winning the Primary

To become a presidential candidate, Fillon first had to win his party's primary election in 2016. A primary is an election where party members choose their main candidate. Fillon was not expected to win, but he surprised many people by finishing first. He defeated other well-known politicians like Alain Juppé and former president Nicolas Sarkozy. After this victory, many people thought he would become the next president of France.

A Difficult Campaign

Fillon at the World Economic Forum in 2008.

At the start of 2017, Fillon was a leading candidate in the polls. However, his campaign ran into serious trouble. A newspaper published a story that raised questions about jobs his wife and children had been paid for. The story claimed they received large salaries for work that may not have been real.

This controversy became known as the "Penelopegate" (named after his wife, Penelope). The news caused a public outcry and badly damaged Fillon's reputation. His support in the polls dropped quickly. Despite the pressure, he decided to continue his campaign.

In the first round of the presidential election on April 23, 2017, Fillon finished in third place. Only the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, moved on to the final round.

Personal Life

Fillon with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009.

Fillon is married to Penelope Clarke, who is from Wales in the United Kingdom. They met when she was in France teaching English. They married in 1980 and have five children. The family lives in a historic home near the town of Sablé-sur-Sarthe.

Fillon is a big fan of car racing. He grew up near Le Mans, home of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He has attended the race almost every year since he was a child. He is a member of the car club that organizes the event, and his brother Pierre is the club's president. Fillon has even participated in historic car races on the famous track.

Images for kids

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  Fillon with Polish President Lech Kaczyński in October 2007.

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  Fillon with José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, in June 2009.

See also

In Spanish: François Fillon para niños

• Robert Bourgi