Jean-François Copé

Jean-François Copé
President of the UMP
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 November 2012 Disputed
Preceded by	Nicolas Sarkozy
General Secretary of the UMP
In office 17 November 2010 – 19 November 2012
Preceded by	Xavier Bertrand
Succeeded by	Michèle Tabarot
Mayor of Meaux
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 December 2005
Preceded by	Ange Anziani
In office 19 June 1995 – 20 June 2002
Preceded by	Jean Lion
Succeeded by	Ange Anziani
Minister of the Budget
In office 31 May 2005 – 18 May 2007
Prime Minister	Dominique de Villepin
Preceded by	Dominique Bussereau
Succeeded by	Éric Woerth
Member of the National Assembly for Seine-et-Marne's 6th constituency
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 June 2002
Preceded by	Nicole Bricq
Personal details
Born	(1964-05-05) 5 May 1964 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Political party	Rally for the Republic(Before 2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–present)
Spouse(s)	Valérie Ducuing (m. 1991–d. 2007) Nadia D'Alincourt (m. 2011)
Children	4
Alma mater	Institute of Political Studies, Paris National School of Administration, Strasbourg
Religion	Judaism (non-practicing)
Website	Official website

Jean-François Copé (French: [ʒɑ̃.fʁɑ̃.swa kɔ.pe]; born 5 May 1964) is a French politician. He is Mayor of Meaux, Deputy (Député) for the 6th constituency of Seine-et-Marne, and acts as President of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Group in the French National Assembly. He was appointed Spokesperson for the French Government between 2002 and 2007, and assumed other tenures in the government—including Minister of the Budget—at the same time. In November 2010, he became General Secretary of the Union for a Popular Movement. In August 2012, he announced that he would run for the presidency of the UMP, facing former Prime Minister François Fillon

In November 19, 2012, he declared himself elected President of the UMP with 50.03% of votes from its members, contradicted by François Fillon who asserts his own victory.

Personal life

Jean-François Copé was born in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), the son of Professor Roland Copé, a surgeon of Romanian Jewish origin, and Monique Ghanassia, of Algerian Jewish origin. His paternal grandparents were Marcu Hirs Copelovici, a physician born in Bessarabia, and Gisele Lazerovici. His maternal grandparents were Ismael André Ghanassia, a lawyer in Algiers (son of Moïse Ghanassia and Djouhar Soussi, from Miliana, in Algeria), and Lise Boukhabza (granddaughter of a Tunisian rabbi).

Raised in a French Jewish family, he describes himself as "a non-practicing Jew" ("Juif non pratiquant").He studied at the École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel, and then at Lycée Victor Duruy, where he obtained his Baccalauréat. In 1985, he entered Sciences Po for 2 years, before attending the École nationale d'administration, from which he graduated in 1989. He followed training seminars on New Public Management in the United States, and he is a proponent of Benchmarking on budget matters. Divorced, he has 4 children, François-Xavier, Pierre-Alexis, and Raphaëlla, from his previous marriage, and Faustine, from his current union.

Career

Following his graduation in 1989, he joined the Caisse des dépôts et consignations until 1991. He then worked as head of cabinet for the CEO at Dexia, while teaching Local Economy and Finance at Science-Po. He left those attributions in 1993, to get involved within the leading right-wing party at the time, the RPR.

In 1997, he came back to teaching as an Associate Professor of Economy and Finance at Paris 8 University, up until 2002. He also returned to the Caisse des dépôts et consignations between 1997 and 1999, before joining the supervisory board of Dexia from 2000 to 2002.

Political functions

After serving in various political roles in the RPR and the Balladur government, he became spokesperson for the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in 2002. On 24 November 2004, he became Minister of the Budget and spokesperson for the government in the Raffarin III government; he was renewed in this function in the following Villepin government. Following the 2007 parliamentary election, he became leader of the UMP parliamentary group in the 13th Legislature.

In 1995, he became Mayor of Meaux at 35, and was reelected in 2001 and 2008. Because of his nomination in the government in 2002, he had to step down in favor of Ange Anziani. Nonetheless, he took back the office in 2005 after Anziani's resignation. He was also regional councillor of Ile-de-France from 1998 to 2007 and was list leader of the UMP-UDF in Ile-de-France in the 2004 regional elections.

He became deputy of the 5th constituency of Seine-et-Marne in 1995, following the nomination of the incumbent to the Juppé government. However, he was defeated in 1997 by a Socialist candidate in a difficult RPR-PS-FN three-way second round race. In 2002, he was elected in the 6th constituency. He was re-elected there by the first round in 2007, becoming President of the UMP Group in the French National Assembly at the same time.

In November 2010, he became General Secretary of the Union for a Popular Movement. He declared himself a candidate for the presidency of the UMP in August 2012, facing François Fillon, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and Bruno Le Maire. He was supported by many strong UMP members, such as former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, UMP leader at the National Assembly Christian Jacob and former Minister of Education Luc Chatel.

In September 2012, Copé denounced the development of an anti-White racism by people living in France, sparking a nation-wide controversy in media and politics.

On november, 19 2012, he declares himself winner of the competition with 50,03% of votes, position contradicted by François Fillon who asserts his own victory. In the following days, the cris amplified by mutual accusation of frauds.

Political career

Governmental functions

Secretary of State for Relationships with Parliament and Government's spokesman : 2002–2004.

Minister deleguated to Interior and Government's spokesman : March–November 2004.

Minister of Budget, Budget Reform and Government's spokesman : 2004–2005.

Minister of Budget, State Reform and Government's spokesman: 2005–2007.

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

President of the Union for a Popular Movement Group in the National Assembly : 2007–2010 (Resignation).

Member of the National Assembly of France for Seine-et-Marne (5th, then 6th constituency) : 1995–1997 / Reelected in 2002, but he became secretary of State / Since 2007. Elected in 1995, reelected in 2002, 2007, 2012.

Regional Council

Regional councillor of Île-de-France : 1998–2007 (Resignation). Reelected in 2004.

Municipal Council

Mayor of Meaux : 1995–2002 (Resignation) / Since 2005. Reelected in 2001, 2005, 2008.

Deputy-mayor of Meaux : 2002–2005.

Municipal councillor of Meaux : Since 1995. Reelected in 2001, 2008.

Agglomeration community Council

Président of the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux : Since 2003. Reelected in 2008.

Member of the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux : Since 2003. Reelected in 2008.

Political functions

Deputy General secretary of the Rally for the Republic : 2001–2002.

General Secretary of the Union for a Popular Movement : 2010-2012.

Président of the Union for a Popular Movement : Since 19 November 2012.

Bibliography

Books by Jean-François Copé

• 1990 : Finances locales – Economica (Reissued in 1993 (ISBN 978-2717825688), and with François Werner in 1997 (ISBN 978-2717833034))
• 1999 : Ce que je n'ai pas appris à l'ENA. L'aventure d'un maire – Hachette Littératures. ISBN 978-2-01-235477-7.
• 2002 : Devoir d'inventaire. Le dépôt de bilan de Lionel Jospin – Éditions Albin Michel. ISBN 978-2-226-13314-4.
• 2006 : Promis, j'arrête la langue de bois – Hachette Littératures. ISBN 978-2-01-235943-7.
• 2012 : Manifeste pour une droite décomplexée - Editions Fayard. ISBN 978-2213671796

External links

• Webpage at the National Assembly

Political offices
Preceded by Jean Lion	Mayor of Meaux 1995–2002	Succeeded by Ange Anziani
Preceded by Dominique Bussereau	Minister of the Budget 2005–2007	Succeeded by Éric Woerth
Preceded by Ange Anziani	Mayor of Meaux 2005–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Xavier Bertrand	Secretary-General of the Union for a Popular Movement 2010–present	Incumbent