Jean-Pierre Raffarin facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Raffarin in 2013

Prime Minister of France
In office 6 May 2002 – 31 May 2005
President	Jacques Chirac
Preceded by	Lionel Jospin
Succeeded by	Dominique de Villepin
Member of the Senate
In office 18 September 2005 – 4 October 2017
Constituency	Vienne
In office 1 October 2004 – 1 November 2004
Constituency	Vienne
In office 21 September 1997 – 6 June 2002
Constituency	Vienne
In office 2 October 1995 – 31 October 1995
Constituency	Vienne
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Crafts
In office 18 May 1995 – 4 June 1997
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé
Preceded by	Alain Madelin
Succeeded by	Marylise Lebranchu
Member of the European Parliament
In office 25 July 1989 – 18 May 1995
Constituency	France
President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes
In office 19 December 1988 – 8 May 2002
Preceded by	Louis Fruchard
Succeeded by	Élisabeth Morin

Personal details
Born	(1948-08-03) 3 August 1948 (age 76) Poitiers, France
Political party	The Republicans (2015–present)
Other political affiliations	Liberal Democracy (before 2002) UMP (2002–2015)
Spouse	Anne-Marie Perrier (m. 1980)
Children	2
Alma mater	Panthéon-Assas University ESCP Business School

Jean-Pierre Raffarin (born 3 August 1948) is a French politician. He served as the Prime Minister of France from May 2002 to May 2005. He worked under President Jacques Chirac.

He stepped down after France voted "no" in a public vote. This vote was about a new plan for the European Union. Even though he resigned, he said his decision was not because of the vote's result. Some people thought he was not very popular. But others said he was "a remarkably popular Prime Minister." He was also the Vice President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014.

Early Life and Education
- How Did He Start in Politics?
Jean-Pierre Raffarin's Political Journey
Jean-Pierre Raffarin as Prime Minister
Raffarin's Governments
Raffarinades: His Famous Sayings
Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Jean-Pierre Raffarin was born on August 3, 1948. He grew up in a city called Poitiers in France. His father, Jean Raffarin, was also a well-known politician. He was a vice-minister for Agriculture.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin studied law at Panthéon-Assas University. He also went to the ESCP Business School. After finishing his studies, he started his career in marketing.

How Did He Start in Politics?

In the 1970s, Raffarin joined a group of young people who supported Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. He called himself a "giscardien." This meant he followed Giscard d'Estaing's political ideas. He then joined the Republican Party. This party was a part of a bigger group called the Union for French Democracy (UDF).

Jean-Pierre Raffarin's Political Journey

In the 1980s, Jean-Pierre Raffarin began his political work in his home region. This region was called Poitou-Charentes. With help from a local leader, René Monory, he became the head of the regional council in 1988.

Seven years later, he was chosen as a senator for the Vienne area. A senator is like a representative in the national government.

Important Roles in Government

Jean-Pierre Raffarin held several key positions:

Prime Minister: He led the government from 2002 to 2005.
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Craft: He was in charge of these areas from 1995 to 1997.

His Time as a Member of Parliament

Member of the European Parliament: He represented France in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1995. He was re-elected in 1994.
Senator of Vienne: He was elected as a senator multiple times. He served from 1997 to 2002 and again from 2005 onwards.

Local Government Roles

President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes: He led this regional council from 1988 to 2002.
Vice-President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes: He held this role from 2002 to 2004.
Regional Councillor of Poitou-Charentes: He was a regional councillor from 1986 to 2004.
Deputy-mayor of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou: He was a deputy mayor from 1995 to 2001.
Municipal Councillor of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou: He was a municipal councillor from 1995 to 2001.
Municipal Councillor of Poitiers: He served as a municipal councillor from 1977 to 1995.

Becoming a Minister

During the 1995 presidential election, Jean-Pierre Raffarin supported Jacques Chirac. Chirac won the election. Because of his support, Raffarin was made Minister of Small and Medium-sized Companies, Commerce and Craft Industry. This was part of Alain Juppé's government from 1995 to 1997.

Later, he became a vice-president of a political party called Liberal Democracy (DL). He held this role until 2002.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin as Prime Minister

Prime Minister Raffarin and Mikuláš Dzurinda in Paris, December 2003

Raffarin with Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, June 2004

When Jacques Chirac was re-elected president in 2002, he chose Jean-Pierre Raffarin as his Prime Minister. Chirac wanted someone moderate to lead the government. Raffarin helped create a new political party called the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). He also spoke out against the war in Iraq led by America.

Key Policies and Challenges

Raffarin's government focused on a mix of strong leadership and economic freedom.

In 2003, he started changes to the public retirement system.
He also began a process called decentralisation. This meant giving more power to local governments.
These changes led to many strikes across the country.
In the summer of 2003, France had a very hot summer. This heatwave caused many deaths. Some people felt the government reacted too slowly.
In 2004, he started to reform France's state-run healthcare system.

His time as Prime Minister was sometimes known for disagreements among his ministers. The media often joked about his leadership style.

Government Reshuffle

On March 28, 2004, Raffarin's party lost badly in regional elections. Most of France's regions voted for the opposition parties. Raffarin himself said this showed people did not trust his government. On March 30, 2004, he offered his resignation to President Chirac. However, Chirac immediately asked him to form a new government. This led to a big change in his cabinet, with some ministers leaving.

Why Did He Resign?

Jean-Pierre Raffarin's resignation was accepted by President Chirac on May 30, 2005. This happened after French voters said "no" to the European Constitution in a public vote. He was then replaced by Dominique de Villepin as Prime Minister.

After his resignation, he was elected as a Senator again for the Vienne area. He also became one of the Vice Presidents of the UMP party in 2007.

International Relations

During a visit to China in 2005, Raffarin spoke about France's view on China's "anti-secession" law regarding Taiwan. He said France's position was always to support "one China." He also mentioned that France wanted the ban on weapons sales to China to be lifted. Usually, foreign affairs are the President's main responsibility, not the Prime Minister's.

Raffarin's Governments

Jean-Pierre Raffarin led three different governments during his time as Prime Minister. Each government had different ministers in charge of various areas like foreign affairs, defense, and finance.

First Ministry (May – June 2002): This was his first team of ministers.
Second Ministry (2002–2004): This government continued his work with some changes.
Third Ministry (2004–2005): This was his final government before he resigned.

Raffarinades: His Famous Sayings

Jean-Pierre Raffarin was often known for his positive sayings. These were jokingly called raffarinades. One famous example is: La route est droite, mais la pente est forte. This means "The road is straight, but the slope is steep."

He also tried speaking English before the vote on the European Constitution. He said, "Win the yes needs the no to win against the no." This phrase became quite famous. The vote itself was sometimes called le Raffarindum by people who were against it. Also, a special work day for the elderly is sometimes called la Saint-Raffarin by unhappy workers.