Laurent Fabius

Laurent Fabius
Prime Minister of France
In office 17 July 1984 – 20 March 1986
President	François Mitterrand
Preceded by	Pierre Mauroy
Succeeded by	Jacques Chirac
Personal details
Born	20 August 1946 (1946-08-20) Paris
Political party	Socialist
Spouse(s)	Françoise Castro (div.)
Occupation	Civil Servant

Laurent Fabius (French pronunciation: [loʁɑ̃ fabjys]; born 20 August 1946) is a French Socialist politician. He served as Prime Minister from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. He was 37 years old when he was appointed and is, so far, the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic.

Early life

Fabius was born in Paris, the son of Louise (née Strasburger-Mortimer; 1911–2010) and André Fabius (1908–1984). His parents were Jewish and converted to Catholicism, and Fabius was raised an assimilated Catholic. His secondary education was at the Lycée Janson de Sailly and Lycée Louis-le-Grand. He was a graduate of institutions that are training grounds for academics (École Normale Supérieure), senior civil servants (École Nationale d'Administration) and future leaders (Sciences Po).

Member of National Assembly

After his studies, he became an auditor for the Council of State. He was first elected to the National Assembly in 1978 as of the Socialist Party candidate for the fourth constituency of Seine Maritime. He quickly gained entry to the circle of François Mitterrand, the leader of the party.

In government

When Mitterrand was elected president in 1981, Fabius was nominated Minister of the Budget. Two years later, he became Minister of Industry, and pursued the policy of "industrial restructuration". In 1984, a government shake up by Mitterrand led him to be appointed Prime Minister (choosing him over the likes of Pierre Bérégovoy and Jacques Delors) at the age of 37. He advocated a new kind of French socialism which accepted the market economy. In social policy, a law of December 1984 replaced allowance for orphans with a family support allowance, and empowered family allowance funds to aid in recovery of child support hen a parent fails to pay. The allowable income for recipients of the young child allowance was increased (July 1984) for families with three or more hidden. The Fabius Government also sought to reduce penalties on families with working mothers by substantially increasing the income ceiling for dual-income families receiving the young child allowance. A parental education fund was created (1985), which provided for payments to each person who stops work or reduces hours of work as a result of the birth of any child beyond the first two, for which the parent(s) is/are responsible. In addition, a new benefit was introduced for unemployed workers who ahd exhausted their eligibility for unemployment insurance.

Despite the Fabius Government's achievements in social policy, it was unable to prevent a rise in social inequality during its time in office, a situation arguably exacerbated by austerity measures introduced by the government. Although the rate of inflation fell, unemployment continued to increase, standing at 11% in early 1986, compared with 8% in 1983. Concern over rising inequality in France was expressed in the publication of a number of books on both “the new poverty” and “social exclusion,” which had become major public preoccupations. The Fabius Government's inability to prevent both rising unemployemnt and inequality arguably contributed to the defeat of the French Socialists in the 1986 legislative election, which led Fabius to step down as prime minister.

The symbol of a "modern" French socialism, he was weakened by the "infected blood scandal". His government was accused of having knowingly let doctors give haemophiliacs transfusions of blood infected by HIV. A judicial process similar to Impeachment acquitted him of all personal moral responsibility in the matter but he has never been absolved by public opinion.

After the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship, on 10 July 1985, Prime Minister Fabius summoned journalists to his office on 22 September 1985 to read a 200 word statement in which he said: "The truth is cruel," and acknowledged that "Agents of the French secret service sank this boat. They were acting on orders."

Fabius came to be seen as Lionel Jospin's rival to be Mitterrand's heir. He failed to win the First Secretaryship of the party in 1988 and 1990 (Rennes Congress) in spite of Mitterrand's support. Installed as President of the National Assembly in 1988 (at 41 years of age, the equal youngest in the history of the lower house), he succeeded finally in becoming First Secretary of the party in 1992, but resigned after the Socialist disaster of the 1993 legislative election.

He came back as President of the National Assembly in 1997, then as Minister of Economy and Finance in Lionel Jospin's cabinet between 2000 and 2002. After Jospin's retirement, he hoped to return as Socialist leader but he failed. He declared that his mind was changed about a number of matters and he joined the left-wing of the party.

In this position he was the leader of the defeated no camp in the vote that took place among the members of his party on 1 December 2004, to decide the stance that the party would take on the impending Referendum on the European Constitution. He went on to lead the rebel faction of the party advocating a no vote in the 2005 Referendum, and was seen as the spearhead of the whole no campaign in France. After the no vote won, the party leader gave an assurance that he could remain in the party though he was dismissed from the party's National Executive Committee.

2007 Socialist Party presidential primary election

Fabius was a candidate in the Socialist Party's primary election to be the party's candidate in the 2007 presidential election, but finished third, behind Ségolène Royal, the winner, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He was subsequently re-elected to the National Assembly in the June 2007 parliamentary election.

Political career

Governmental functions

Prime minister : 1984–1986.

Minister of Budget : 1981–1983.

Minister of Research and Industry : 1983–1984.

Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry : 2000–2002.

Electoral mandates

European Parliament

Member of European Parliament : 1989–1992 (Resignation). Elected in 1989.

National Assembly of France

President of the National Assembly of France : 1988–1992 (Resignation) / 1997–2000 (Became minister in 2000).

Member of the National Assembly of France for Seine-Maritime (4th constituency) : 1978–1981 (Became minister in 1981) / 1986–2000 (Became minister in 2000) / And since 2002. Elected in 1978, reelected in 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007.

Regional Council

Regional councillor of Haute-Normandie : 1992–1995 (Resignation).

General Council

General councillor of Seine-Maritime : 2000–2002 (Resignation).

Municipal Council

Mayor of Le Grand-Quevilly : 1995–2000 (Resignation).

First Deputy-mayor of Le Grand-Quevilly : 1977–1995 / And since 2000. Reelected in 1983, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2008.

Municipal councillor of Le Grand-Quevilly : Since 1977. Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008.

Agglomeration community Council

President of the Agglomeration community of Rouen : Since 2008.

Vice-president of the Agglomeration community of Rouen : 2001–2008.

Member of the Agglomeration community of Rouen : Since 2001. Reelected in 2008.

Political functions

First Secretary (leader) of the Socialist Party (France) : 1992–1993.

Fabius's Ministry, 19 July 1984 – 20 March 1986

• Laurent Fabius – Prime Minister
• Claude Cheysson – Minister of External Relations
• Roland Dumas – Minister of European Affairs
• Charles Hernu – Minister of Defence
• Pierre Joxe – Minister of the Interior and Decentralization
• Pierre Bérégovoy – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Budget
• Édith Cresson – Minister of Industrial Redeployment and External Commerce
• Michel Delebarre – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Vocational Training
• Robert Badinter – Minister of Justice
• Jean-Pierre Chevènement – Minister of National Education
• Michel Rocard – Minister of Agriculture
• Huguette Bouchardeau – Minister of Environment
• Paul Quilès – Minister of Transport, Town Planning, and Housing
• Michel Crépeau – Minister of Commerce, Craft Industry, and Tourism
• Gaston Defferre – Minister of Planning and Regional Planning
• Hubert Curien – Minister of Research and Technology
• Georgina Dufoix – Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity.

Changes

• 7 December 1984 – Roland Dumas succeeds Cheysson as Minister of External Relations. The position of Minister of European Affairs is abolished. Jack Lang enters the Cabinet as Minister of Culture. The office of Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity is abolished, and Georgina Dufoix leaves the Cabinet.
• 4 April 1985 – Henri Nallet succeeds Rocard as Minister of Agriculture.
• 21 May 1985 – 15 November 1985 Edgard Pisani appointed minister in charge of New Caledonia
• 20 September 1985 – Paul Quilès succeeds Hernu as Minister of Defense in the wake of the Rainbow Warrior bombing. Jean Auroux succeeds Quilès as Minister of Transport, Town Planning, and Housing.
• 19 February 1986 – Michel Crépeau succeeds Badinter as Minister of Justice. Jean-Marie Bockel succeeds Crépeau as Minister of Commerce, Craft Industry, and Tourism.

Honours

• Legion of Honour
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania
• Commander of the French National Order of Merit
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (29 January 1990)
• Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit

External links

• Laurent Fabius' official page in the French National Assembly (in French)
• Laurent Fabius' personal web page (in French)
• His Speech to the College Historical Society of Trinity College

Political offices
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement	Minister of Industry 1983–1984	Succeeded by Edith Cresson
	Minister of Research 1983–1984	Succeeded by Hubert Curien
Preceded by Pierre Mauroy	Prime Minister of France 1984–1986	Succeeded by Jacques Chirac
Preceded by Jacques Chaban-Delmas	President of the National Assembly 1988–1992	Succeeded by Henri Emmanuelli
Preceded by Philippe Séguin	President of the National Assembly 1997–2000	Succeeded by Raymond Forni
Preceded by Christian Sautter	Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry 2000–2002	Succeeded by Francis Mer
Party political offices
Preceded by Pierre Mauroy	First Secretary of the Socialist Party 1992–1993	Succeeded by Michel Rocard