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Jean-Louis Debré
Jean-Louis Debré 2012.jpg
Debré in 2012
President of the Constitutional Council
In office
5 March 2007 – 4 March 2016
Appointed by Jacques Chirac
Preceded by Pierre Mazeaud
Succeeded by Laurent Fabius
President of the National Assembly
In office
25 June 2002 – 2 March 2007
Preceded by Raymond Forni
Succeeded by Patrick Ollier
Minister of the Interior
In office
18 May 1995 – 4 June 1997
President Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister Alain Juppé
Preceded by Charles Pasqua
Succeeded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement
Member of the National Assembly
In office
1 June 1997 – 5 March 2007
Preceded by Françoise Charpentier
Succeeded by Françoise Charpentier
Constituency Eure's 1st constituency
In office
2 April 1986 – 18 June 1995
Succeeded by Françoise Charpentier
Constituency Eure
Mayor of Évreux
In office
18 March 2001 – 12 March 2007
Preceded by Roland Plaisance
Succeeded by Jean-Pierre Nicolas
Personal details
Born (1944-09-30) 30 September 1944 (age 79)
Toulouse, France
Political party RPR, UMP, LR
Spouse Anne-Marie Debré (d. 2007)
Relations Bernard Debré (twin brother)
Children Charles
Guillaume
Marie-Victoire
Parent Michel Debré
Alma mater French National School for the Judiciary
Sciences Po
Website Website

Jean-Louis Debré (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ lwi dəbʁe]; born 30 September 1944) is a former French judge and politician who served as President of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007 and President of the Constitutional Council from 2007 to 2016. He was Minister of the Interior from 1995 until 1997 during the presidency of Jacques Chirac. Since 2016 he has been President of the Superior Council of Archives.

Early life and family

Debré was born in Toulouse. He is the son of former Prime Minister Michel Debré, grandson of medicine professor Robert Debré, and brother of politician Bernard Debré.

Political career

Debré was a member of the Neo-Gaullist party Rally for the Republic (RPR), then of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

Debré was first elected to the National Assembly in the 1986 parliamentary election; he was re-elected in 1988, 1993, 1997, and 2002 as a deputy from Eure's 1st constituency. He served as Minister of the Interior in Prime Minister Alain Juppé's governments (1995–1997). As minister, he was criticized for having allowed the armed Corsican clandestine press conference, and was responsible for the controversial 1996 evacuation of Saint-Bernard de la Chapelle church in Paris, which was occupied by illegal immigrants (so called sans-papiers) on hunger strikes. Also during his time in office, he led efforts on a 1997 law aimed at curbing illegal immigration and making it easier to assimilate foreigners in the country.

On the local level, Debré was elected as Mayor of Évreux in 2001, serving in that post until 2007.

Debré later served as leader of the RPR group in the National Assembly from 1997 to 2002 and then President of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007. Faithful to President Chirac, he frequently criticized UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy. He resigned as President of the National Assembly three months before the end of his tenure.

President of the Constitutional Council

On 22 February 2007, Debré was appointed by Chirac as President of the Constitutional Council. He replaced Pierre Mazeaud in the latter position, and was replaced by Laurent Fabius in 2016.

During his time as president, the Constitutional Council notably ruled in 2011 that France’s ban on same sex marriage did not violate the constitution and the decision on whether to legalize it rested with parliament.

In 2015, a chance encounter between Debré and homeless author Jean-Marie Roughol led the latter to write about living rough, resulting in the French bestseller Je tape la manche (I’m begging).

Later career

In 2020, Prime Minister Jean Castex commissioned Debré with a report on options to facilitate voting during the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in France, including a reversal of the ban on mail-in voting.

Political positions

In 2005, The Guardian described Debré as "perhaps the most dedicated of all defenders of the Chirac faith." He later voted for François Hollande in the 2012 French presidential election. In the Republicans' 2016 presidential primaries, he publicly endorsed Alain Juppé as the party's candidate for the 2017 elections.

Overview

Governmental function

Minister of Interior : 1995–1997.

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

President of the National Assembly of France : 2002–2007 (Resignation, became President of the Constitutional Council of France in 2007).

President of the Rally for the Republic Group in the National Assembly : 1997–2002. Elected in 1997.

Member of the National Assembly of France for Eure's 1st constituency : 1986–1995 (Became minister in 1995) / 1997–2007 (Resignation became President of the Constitutional Council of France in 2007). Elected in 1986, reelected in 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002.

General Council

Vice-president of the General Council of Eure : 1998–2001 (Resignation).

General councillor of Eure : 1992–2001 (Resignation). Reelected in 1998.

Municipal Council

Mayor of Évreux : 2001–2007 (Resignation).

Municipal councillor of Évreux : 1989–1995 / 2001–2007 (Resignation).

Deputy-mayor of Paris : 1995–1997 (Resignation).

Councillor of Paris : 1995–1997 (Resignation).

Agglomeration community Council

President of the Agglomeration community of Évreux : 2001–2007. (Resignation).

Member of the Agglomeration community of Évreux : 2001–2007. (Resignation).

Political functions

Spokesman of the Rally for the Republic : 1993–1995.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jean-Louis Debré para niños

  • Debré family
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