Claude Bartolone

Claude Bartolone (French pronunciation: ​[klod baʁtɔlɔn]; born 1951) is a Tunisian-born French politician who was President of the National Assembly of France from 2012 to 2017. A member of the Socialist Party, he was first elected to the National Assembly, representing the Seine-Saint-Denis department, in 1981. He served in the government as Delegate Minister for the City from 1998 to 2002, and he was President of the Seine-Saint-Denis General Council from 2008 to 2012.

Claude Bartolone
Claude Bartolone in Iran's Center for Strategic Research, September 2016
President of the National Assembly
In office 26 June 2012 – 20 June 2017
Preceded by	Bernard Accoyer
Succeeded by	François de Rugy
President of the General Council of Seine-Saint-Denis
In office 20 March 2008 – 4 September 2012
Preceded by	Hervé Bramy
Succeeded by	Stéphane Troussel
Delegate Minister for the City
In office 30 March 1998 – 6 May 2002
Prime Minister	Lionel Jospin
Preceded by	Éric Raoult
Succeeded by	Jean-Louis Borloo
Member of the French National Assembly
In office 20 June 2012 – 20 June 2017
Preceded by	Élisabeth Guigou
Succeeded by	Sabine Rubin
Constituency	Seine-Saint-Denis's 9th
In office 2 July 1981 – 19 June 2012
Preceded by	Jacqueline Chonavel
Succeeded by	Élisabeth Guigou
Constituency	Seine-Saint-Denis's 6th
Personal details
Born	(1951-07-29) 29 July 1951 Tunis, Tunisia
Political party	Socialist Party
Spouse(s)	Véronique Ragusa
Alma mater	Pierre and Marie Curie University

Biography

Early life

He was born on 29 July 1951 in Tunis, Tunisia.[1] His mother was from Malta and his father from Sicily; both his parents were working-class.[2][3] At the age of nine, he moved to Le Pré-Saint-Gervais in France and grew up in a council estate.[2][4] After he was encouraged by a teacher named Marie-Thérèse Thoullieux not to get a professional degree, he attended the Lycée Turgot in Paris.[2][3] He received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.[3]

Career

Local mandates

He was a municipal councillor of Le Pré-Saint-Gervais from 1977 to 1983, and from 1995 to 2008. He served as Deputy Mayor of Le Pré-Saint-Gervais from 1977 to 1983, from June to October 1995, as Mayor from 1995 to 1998, and again as Deputy Mayor from 2001 to 2008. He was also municipal councillor of Les Lilas from 1983 to 1989.

He served as Seine-Saint-Denis general councillor from 1979 to 1992, and has served again since 2008. From 1985 to 1992, he served as vice-president of the Seine-Saint-Denis General Council, and as president from 2008 to 2012. From 1998 to 2002, he served as regional councillor of Ile-de-France.

National mandates

He served as a member of the National Assembly for the sixth district, encompassing Seine-Saint-Denis from 1981 to 1998. From 1998 to 2002, he served as Delegate Minister for the City. Since 2002, he has served as member of the National Assembly again.

Following the June 2012 parliamentary election, in which the Socialist Party won a parliamentary majority, Bartolone was designated as the Socialist candidate for the post of President of the National Assembly. In the vote, held on 26 June 2012, Bartolone was accordingly elected to the post, receiving 298 votes against 185 votes for the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) candidate Bernard Accoyer, who held the post during the preceding parliamentary term.[5]

Candidates		Parties		Socialist Primary		First round
				Votes	%	Votes	%
	Bernard Accoyer	Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un mouvement populaire)	UMP			185	38.30%
	Claude Bartolone	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	127	49.22%	298	61.70%
	Jean Glavany	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	59	22.87%
	Élisabeth Guigou	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	50	19.38%
	Daniel Vaillant	Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)	PS	22	8.53%

From 2012 to 2017, he has served as President of the National Assembly of France.[4][6] Thus, he lived in the Hôtel de Lassay.[4]

In April 2013, he received a menacing letter containing ammunition powder, suggesting he should stop supporting same-sex marriage.[7][8][9][10]

Personal life

He is married, in a second marriage, with Véronique Ragusa, a parliamentary collaborator. He resides in a 320 square metre mansion on the outskirts of Paris.[11]

Honours

Foreign Honours

•  Italy : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (19/11/2012)[12]

References

1. Office of the Secretary General (2012). "Claude Bartolone". Assemblee-nationale.fr (in French). National Assembly of France. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
2. « J'ai dit à l'élève Bartolone : Vous devriez viser plus haut », Le Parisien, June 26, 2012
3. Paul de Coustin, La prof qui a poussé Bartolone à entrer au lycée, Le Figaro, June 26, 2012
4. François-Xavier Bourmaud, Bartolone, de la Seine-Saint-Denis au perchoir, Le Figaro, June 21, 2012
5. "Claude Bartolone élu au perchoir", AFP, 26 June 2012 (in French).
6. Sophie Huet, Bartolone, futur président de l'Assemblée nationale, Le Figaro, June 21, 2012
7. Scott Roberts, France: National Assembly speaker urged to delay equal marriage vote in ammunition powder letter, Pink News, April 22, 2013
8. Nicolas Germain, Mariage pour tous : Claude Bartolone reçoit des menaces de mort, France 24, April 22, 2013
9. Mariage pour tous : Claude Bartolone reçoit des menaces de mort, The Huffington Post, April 22, 2013
10. Loi sur le mariage gay : Claude Bartolone a reçu une lettre de menaces, Le Parisien, April 22, 2013
11. Visitez la maison de Claude Bartolone Archived 2015-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, Le Journal du Dimanche, April 17, 2013
12. Italian Presidency website, Sig. Claude Bartolone (Presidente dell'Assemblea Nazionale ) - Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana

Political offices
Vacant Title last held by Éric Raoult	Delegate Minister for the City 1998–2002	Succeeded by Jean-Louis Borloo
Preceded by Bernard Accoyer	President of the National Assembly 2012–2017	Succeeded by François de Rugy
Party political offices
Preceded by Marylise Lebranchu	Socialist nominee for President of the National Assembly 2012	Succeeded by Laurence Dumont