Annick Girardin

Annick Girardin (born 3 August 1964) is a French government minister and a former member of the National Assembly of France. She represented the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon,[1] from 2007 to 2014 before being appointed Junior Minister for Development and Francophonie in April 2014 in the Valls Cabinet. Following the election of President Emmanuel Macron in May 2017, she was appointed Minister of Overseas France in the new Philippe Government.

Annick Girardin
Minister of Overseas Territories
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 May 2017
President	Emmanuel Macron
Prime Minister	Édouard Philippe Jean Castex
Preceded by	Ericka Bareigts
Minister of Public Service
In office 11 February 2016 – 10 May 2017
Prime Minister	Manuel Valls Bernard Cazeneuve
Preceded by	Marylise Lebranchu
Succeeded by	Gérald Darmanin
Secretary of State Development and Francophonie
In office 9 April 2014 – 11 February 2016
Prime Minister	Manuel Valls
Preceded by	Pascal Canfin Yamina Benguigui
Succeeded by	André Vallini
Member of the National Assembly for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon's 1st constituency
In office 21 June 2017 – 21 July 2017
Preceded by	Stéphane Claireaux
Succeeded by	Stéphane Claireaux
In office 30 June 2014 – 29 July 2014
Preceded by	Catherine Pen
Succeeded by	Stéphane Claireaux
In office 20 June 2007 – 9 May 2014
Member of the Territorial Council of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
In office 28 March 2000 – 19 March 2017
Personal details
Born	(1964-08-03) 3 August 1964 Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, France
Nationality	French
Political party	Radical Party of the Left

Early life and education

Great-niece of the councilor of Saint-Pierre and senator Henri Claireaux,[2] she is the eldest of four siblings; her mother was a housewife and her father, after fishing activities, ran a family bakery business. She lived until the age of six at her grandfather's, a chief of public works. She became a mother at the age of sixteen, giving birth to a girl, future weather presenter and host of a cooking show on the local TV channel.[3] His companion is Jean-François Vigneau, territorial advisor of Saint Pierre and Miquelon who succeeds in 2016 to the advisory commission of local public services.

She holds the diploma of socio-cultural animator.[4]

In March 2016, journalists Sylvie Koffi and Shaman Dolpi devoted a 52-minute documentary film, "Annick, the pirate of hope", a co-production France Télévisions and AYA Reportage, with the participation of TV5Monde. The film, which looks back on its journey, took six months of filming, from Saint-Malo to Saint Pierre and Miquelon via Mali and Tunisia.[5]

Political career

Girardin is a member of the Radical Party of the Left (PRG).She is also a member of the PRG's Executive Board since 2012. She was a member of Territorial Council of Saint Pierre and Miquelon from March 2000 to April 2016.[6] She was also a Municipal councillor of Saint-Pierre from 18 March 2001 to 15 February 2002.

During the French Socialist Party presidential primary of 2017, she supports Sylvia Pinel.[7] In the presidential election of 2017, she supported the En Marche! candidate, Emmanuel Macron.[8]

Member of the National Assembly

In the French legislative elections that took place on 9 June and 16 June 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, Annick Girardin was the candidate for the Radical Party of the Left in the Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon constituency. Obtaining 14.8% of the vote on 9 June, she was eliminated from the second round.

Five years later, in the 2007 French legislative elections, she obtained 31.1% in the first round, only 132 votes behind the incumbent. In the second round, one week later, she got 51.27% of the vote and was elected deputy for the Radical Party of the Left.[9]

In the 2012 French legislative elections, she was re-elected in the first round with 65.53%.[10] Her substitute was Catherine Pen.

In the 2017 French legislative elections, she was re-elected with 51.87%.[11] Her substitute was Stéphane Claireaux.

Member of the Government

Annick Girardin and the Seychelles President James Michel in 2014

Secretary of State Development and Francophonie

On 9 April 2014, Annick Girardin was appointed Secretary of State Development and Francophonie in the Valls Cabinet. Catherine Pen, her substitute, therefore succeeded her as deputy but resigned on the same day due to health problems. A by-election was then organised and Annick Girardin was again a candidate for the National Assembly. She won on the first electoral round on 29 June 2014.[12] She retained the position of Secretary of State and her substitute Stéphane Claireaux became the deputy on 30 July 2014.

On 27 June 2014, she was appointed president François Hollande's "personal representative" to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.[13]

Minister of Public Service

She was appointed Minister of Public Service in the Second Valls government,[14] replacing Marylise Lebranchu, during the reshuffle of February 11, 2016.

On December 9, 2016, Émile Zuccarelli presented her with the "Laïcité and public service" report containing twenty proposals. The minister then undertook to implement six priority: mandatory training of officials to secularism, a secular referent in each administration, the creation of an Internet portal on the subject, a day of exchange on secularism and a brochure given to public officials when they take office.

Minister of Overseas Territories

On May 17, 2017, Annick Girardin was appointed Minister of Overseas Territories in the Édouard Philippe government.[15] Candidate in the 2017 legislative election of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, she was reelected in the second round with 51.87% of the vote. She sat for a month in the National Assembly, where she was a member of the La République en marche group. She keeps her ministry.[16]

In September 2017, she managed the relief work following the destruction caused by hurricane Irma in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.[17]

In March 2018, she had to deal with social unrest in Mayotte, the inhabitants protesting against illegal immigration and delinquency.[18] She went to the island on March 12.[19] On May 15, 2018, Girardin presented her catch-up plan for Mayotte. It was broken down into six chapters (security, justice and immigration, health, social, education and training, housing, infrastructure, state institutions and services), 53 commitments and 125 actions for a total cost of 1.3 billion euros out of the national education budget.[20]

References

1. "Liste Définitive des Députés Élus à L'issue des Deux Tours" (in French). National Assembly of France. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
2. "CLAIREAUX Henri". Senate (in French). Retrieved 10 November 2017.
3. François Clemenceau. "Annick Girardin, la ministre qui venait du froid" (in French). lejdd.fr. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
4. "Découvrez les diplômes des ministres du gouvernement Édouard Philippe". etudiant.lefigaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 November 2017.
5. "Annick, la pirate de l'espoir" (in French). film-documentaire.fr. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
6. Annick Girardin. "Pourquoi j'ai démissionné du Conseil territorial" (in French). lejdd.fr. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
7. Arnaud Focraud. "Primaire de la gauche : pour qui votent les ministres?" (in French). lejdd.fr. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
8. "Présidentielle : Annick Girardin appelle à voter Emmanuel Macron" (in French). 1ere.francetvinfo.fr. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
9. "Résultats des élections législatives 2012" (in French). Minister of the Interior (France). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
10. "Résultats des élections législatives 2007" (in French). Minister of the Interior (France). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
11. "Second tour des législatives : l'outre-mer a voté, la ministre Annick Girardin est réélue" (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
12. "Législative partielle : Annick Girardin réélue au 1er tour à St-Pierre-et-Miquelon" (in French). RTL.fr. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
13. "OIF: Girardin représentante de Hollande" (in French). lefigaro.fr. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
14. "Annick Girardin nommée ministre de la Fonction publique" (in French). Europe 1. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
15. "Qui est Annick Girardin, la nouvelle ministre des Outre-mer ?" (in French). LCI. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
16. "Second tour des législatives : l'outre-mer a voté, la ministre Annick Girardin est réélue" (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
17. "Ouragan Irma : Annick Girardin, cette ministre au coeur du dispositif de secours à St-Martin" (in French). LCI. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
18. "Strikes, protests paralyse France's Mayotte Island". France 24. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
19. "French minister arrives in Mayotte as rage grips tropical island". France 24. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
20. "Annick Girardin annonce 53 engagements regroupant 125 actions pour l'avenir de Mayotte" (in French). La1ere. Retrieved 27 September 2018.