Jean-Luc Mélenchon
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008) Click [show] on the right for instructions.
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Jean-Luc Mélenchon (born 19 August 1951) is a French politician who served in the government of France as Minister of Vocational Education from 2000 to 2002. He was also a member of the Senate of France, representing the Essonne department. He left the Socialist Party in November 2008 to found the Left Party with French deputy Marc Dolez.[1][2]
As leader of the Left Party, he joined the Left Front before the 2009 European elections and was selected as the coalition's top candidate in the South-West region. He won 8.15% of the votes cast and was elected to the European Parliament.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is the co-president of the Left Party along with Martine Billard. During the protest movement against the pension reform of 2010, his public stature grew thanks to his many public and television appearances.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is candidate to the French presidential election 2012, representing the Front de Gauche. Recent polls attribute to it 10% of votes.
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[edit] Personal life
Born at Tangier, he was educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen. Graduated in Philosophy, he taught before entering politics.[3]
[edit] Political ideas
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a socialist republican, Historical materialist, inspired primarily by Jean Jaurès (the founder of French republican socialism) and employing Marxian analysis to understand the crisis of market capitalism. Although an ally of the Communists, he is not himself a Communist.
Previously a defender of European federalism, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has given up that political commitment, saying, "the European Union is no longer a solution but a problem, because economic liberalism has totally corrupted the institution and makes it impossible to achieve democratic change which is necessary in the EU, all power belonging to technocrats with no popular legitimacy." For this, he wants another Europe, democratic, united and cooperative coming out first of the Lisbon Treaty and by questioning the independence of the European Central Bank to create a European central bank public.
Based on experiences in South America just like Hugo Chavez or Evo Morales, Jean-Luc Mélenchon promotes a "citizens' revolution" (révolution citoyenne) drawing also on ideas from French Revolution and Paris Commune, a new strategy that respects the democratic process while seeking to win elections in order to change the constitution. This "citizens revolution" should lead to reversing the current division of wealth held by capital, represented by shareholders, and the working class, understood in the broad sense of anyone who actually works to earn money with the maximum salary. Additional goals include a new constitution that will initiate the 6th French Republic, whereby the President will have less power and Parliament more, increase wages, a public bank pole by nationalizing banks, democratization undertaken by new rights for employees in developing cooperatives and large corporations by nationalizing, an environmental planning, exit from NATO, stopping the war in Afghanistan, and Peace in the Middle East with the creation of a Palestinian state. Jean-Luc Mélenchon also insists on the importance of "popular involvement" through public referendums on any essential subject.
He will be the candidate representing the Left Front (France) (Communists, Left Party (France), Unitarian Left: former New Anticapitalist Party) for the French presidential election 2012.[citation needed]
[edit] Political career
Governmental functions
Minister of Vocational Education : 2000-2002
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament : Since 2009. Elected in 2009
Senate of France
Senator of Essonne : 1986-2000 (Became minister in 2000) / 2004-2010 (Resignation, elected in European Parliament in 2009). Elected in 1986, reelected in 1995, 2004.
General Council
Vice-president of the General Council of Essonne : 1998-2000 (Resignation).
General councillor of Essonne : 1985-1992 / 1998-2004. Reelected in 1998.
Municipal Council
Deputy-mayor of Massy, Essonne : 1983-1995.
Municipal councillor of Massy, Essonne : 1983-2001. Reelected in 1989, 1995.
Political function
President of the Left Party (France) : Since 2008
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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