Jean-Claude Gaudin, longtime mayor of Marseille, has died

Jean-Claude Gaudin had come to epitomize Marseille, like his function mannequin Gaston Defferre, the southern port metropolis’s former mayor, earlier than him. He died on Monday, Could 20, aged 84. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to him, describing him as “Marseille made a person” on X.

Elected mayor of his hometown 4 occasions with out interruption from June 1995 to July 2020, the chief of Marseille’s conservatives didn’t beat the longevity file of his Socialist elder (25 years in workplace versus 34), however he additionally served in each homes of Parliament, as president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional council, after which of the nascent Aix-Marseille-Provence council from March 2016 to September 2018. He left his mark on regional politics over half a century like no different elected official.

Beneath his authority, the best patiently conquered and retained all native places of work. The entire hegemony didn’t stop Gaudin’s fourth and ultimate time period from being extremely contested. The demise of eight folks on November 5, 2018, when two buildings collapsed within the coronary heart of Marseille, revealed the failure of his municipal coverage within the battle towards substandard housing and sparked violent protests. This tragedy is without doubt one of the components behind Marseille’s swing to the left in July 2020 and the defeat of Martine Vassal, the Les Républicains (proper, LR) candidate supported by Gaudin. Connected to republican symbols, he personally handed over the mayoral sash to the environmentalist Michèle Rubirola, who succeeded him on the head of a left-wing coalition. “In politics, you must know tips on how to lose,” he stated on the time.

A fixture in his hometown, Gaudin additionally loved a significant nationwide political profession, as a number one determine of the French proper for the reason that mid-Nineteen Eighties. He was minister for regional planning, cities and integration in Alain Juppé’s second authorities (November 1995-September 1997) and served 4 phrases for a complete of 28 years within the Sénat, finally turning into its first vp (2014-2017). His nice political remorse was to have didn’t turn into president of the higher home of Parliament.

Jean-Claude Gaudin was born on October 8, 1939, in Mazargues, in southern Marseille. The working-class district, the place he stored a household house all his life, continues to be a veritable Provençal countryside surrounded by fields. It was right here that he attended the Saint-Roch church and bought his accent and his style for native traditions.

The identification of Marseille

His father was a mason and a member of the Mouvement Républicain Populaire (MRP), a Christian democrat occasion. His mom was a shoe cobbler. Like many from his area, the Gaudins additionally rented a cottage within the Calanque de Sormiou, the place younger Jean-Claude spent his summers. He would later turn into mayor and minister, guiding Jacques Chirac and different large names in French politics by means of this pure setting.

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