Henri Emmanuelli

Henri Emmanuelli (born on May 31, 1945) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party ("Parti socialiste" or PS), he has been deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997 and since 2000.

Biography

Emmanuelli was born in Eaux-Bonnes in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, he grew up in a working-class background and lost his father at a very young age. He studied at the Sciences Po Paris University and he jointed the Financial Company of Edmond James de Rothschild. In 1971 he was appointed to the management of this company, he then became a senior banking executive and a co-director in 1975. He continued his professional careers at the Rothschild’s bank until he was elected to the National Assembly aged 32 in 1978

He jointed the Socialist Party in 1971.

On the request of François Mitterrand he was, at the age of 27, a candidate in the legislative elections of March 1973 in the second circumscription of Lot-et-Garonne. But it was on the 19th of March 1978 that he was elected for the first time as the deputy for the third circumscription of Landes, his victory moved this circumscription to the left-wing.

In 1982 he was elected for the first time as the President of the General Council of Landes

Between 1981 and 1986 he was in the governments of Pierre Mauroy and Laurent Fabius as the Secretary of State charged with the DOM-TOM territories of France between 1981 and 1983 and after this he was the Secretary of State for the Budget between 1983 and 1986 also he was Secretary of State for Consumption between 1984 and 1986.

Between 1992 and 1993 he was chairman of the National Assembly He was elected as the First Secretary of the Socialist Party on the 19th of June 1994 and held this office until October 1995, his election to this position was seen as a revenge for the Mitterrandist wing of the Socialist Party against Michel Rocard, incumbent First Secretary weakened by its low score in the 1994 European Parliament election. However, he was defeated by Lionel Jospin in the race to represent the Socialists at the 1995 presidential election. [Thomas Sancton [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,982559,00.html Time Magazine] February 20, 1995] Jospin also took on the role of First Secretary of the Party at this time. One year later, he was convicted for the illicit financing of the PS when he was its treasurer. He re-entered politics in 2000.

Whilst he was a faithful supporter of François Mitterrand until the latter's death, he is identified as belonging to the left-wing of the PS, and was one of the leaders of the party's "New World" faction formed in 2002 which aimed to steer the party leftwards after Jospin's poor performance in that year's presidential election. [Bruce Crumley [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,348961,00.html Time Magazine] September 8, 2002] In the campaigns for the Referendum for the European Constitution in 2005 and the Treaty of Rome of 2004 he publicly declared himself in favour of the no campaign which put him in direct opposition against the official line of the Socialist Party which was in favour of the treaty. He saw that the treaty was a move away from the idea of a Federal Europe, which he endorsed, notably in his “Plea for Europe”. [John Henley [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/may/30/eu.france1 The Guardian] May 30, 2005] [John Nichols [http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=2957 The Nation] May 31, 2005] He is followed by his close supporters, one of which is Michel Vergnier, the deputy for la Creuse. In 2000 he took part in the Congress of Grenoble of the Socialist Party and was an avid campaigner for a Socialist Party which was clearly aligned to the left-wing. For the Congress of Mans in November 2005 he associated himself with the New Socialist Party of Arnaud Montebourg, Vincent Peillon et Benoît Hamon.

He lives in his circumscription, in the canton of Murgon

Integrity and legal convictions

* On the 14th of September 1992 he was investigated for his role as the Socialist Party’s treasurer in the Urba Affair, concerning illicit funding of the Socialist Party, he was convicted of a role in influence peddling and on the 16th of December 1997 he was given a suspended sentence of 18 months and was banned from public service for two years.
* He was also investigated on the 15th of October 1998 over the Destrade affair which once again dealt with illegal funding to the Socialist Party, however he was released without charge, as the judge dismissed his case

Publications

* "Plaidoyer pour l’Europe", Éditions Flammarion, juillet 1992. (A Plea for Europe)

* "Citadelles interdites", ed. Ramsay, 2000 (roman). (Forbidden Citadels)

References

**OFFICIAL WEBSITE

http://www.henriemmanuelli.fr/