Gérald Darmanin

Gérald Moussa Darmanin (born 11 October 1982) is a French politician serving as Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex since 2020. A former member of The Republicans (LR), he has been a member of La République En Marche! (REM) since 2017. Darmanin was Mayor of Tourcoing from 2014 to 2017 and Minister of Public Action and Accounts in the First and Second Philippe government from 2017 until 2020.[1][2]

Gérald Darmanin
Minister of the Interior
Assumed office
6 July 2020
Prime MinisterJean Castex
Preceded byChristophe Castaner
Minister of Public Action and Accounts
In office
17 May 2017 – 3 July 2020
Prime MinisterÉdouard Philippe
Preceded byChristian Eckert
(Secretary of State)
Succeeded byOlivier Dussopt
Mayor of Tourcoing
In office
4 April 2014 – 9 September 2017
Preceded byMichel-François Delannoy
Succeeded byDidier Droart
Member of the National Assembly
for Nord's 10th constituency
In office
20 June 2012 – 27 January 2016
Preceded byChristian Vanneste
Succeeded byVincent Ledoux
Personal details
Born
Gérald Moussa Darmanin

(1982-10-11) 11 October 1982
Valenciennes, France
NationalityFrench
Political partyUnion for a Popular Movement (before 2015)
The Republicans (2015–2017)
La République En Marche! (since 2017)
Alma materSciences Po Lille
ProfessionJurist

Early life and career

Darmanin was born to a working-class family with Algerian and Maltese roots. His father, Gérard Darmanin, managed a bistro and his mother, Annie Ouakid, worked as a cleaner.[3]. His maternal grandfather, Moussa Ouakid, born in 1907 in the douar of Ouled Ghalia (Ouarsenis) in Algeria, was a Chief Warrant Officer in the French Army and decorated with the Médaille militaire[4]. He served in the Algerian tirailleurs and was also a résistant in the FFI during the Second World War.[5]

Political career

In 2014, Darmanin ran for election as mayor of Tourcoing and won, establishing himself on the national political scene.[6]

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy brought Darmanin onboard as director of his primary election campaign in 2016.[7]

In May 2017, Darmanin was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron Minister of Public Action and Accounts in the Philippe Government. In this capacity, he supports Bruno Le Maire, the Minister for Economic Affairs.[8] At the time of his appointment, he was one of the youngest members in Philippe's government.[9]

Soon after taking office, Darmanin announced plans to achieve 4.5 billion euros ($5.13 billion) in savings on the French government's operational budget in 2017.[10] That year, he managed to bring the country's the budget deficit below the EU-mandated limit of 3 percent of GDP, the first time in a decade for France.[11]

In 2018 he was accused of sexual coercion and harassment by two women relating to alleged misconduct in 2009 and between 2014 and 2017, with one of the women alleging that while Mayor of Tourcoing he asked for sexual favours in exchange for providing her with social housing. However prosecutors dropped the case, claiming an inability to determine an "absence of consent", and Darmanin denied both allegations.[12]

References
  1. Anne Courtel (17 May 2017). "Gouvernement – Gérald Darmanin, progresse toujours et transgresse encore". lavoixdunord.fr (in French). La Voix du Nord. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  2. "Gérald Darmanin, un espoir de la droite à Bercy". Libération. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  3. Nicholas Vinocur (2 August 2017), Gérald Darmanin, France’s new (and improved) Sarkozy Politico Europe.
  4. "Ouakid Moussa, adjudant-chef, classe 1927 M, recrutement d'Alger, mie R. M. 2311; 28 ans de services, 5 campagnes, Journal officiel de la République française, 1958, p.4346".
  5. Dossiers administratifs de résistantes et résistants, Musée de la résistance en ligne, Dossier GR 16 P 452368
  6. Nicholas Vinocur (2 August 2017), Gérald Darmanin, France’s new (and improved) Sarkozy Politico Europe.
  7. Nicholas Vinocur (2 August 2017), Gérald Darmanin, France’s new (and improved) Sarkozy Politico Europe.
  8. Factbox: Ministers in new French government Reuters, 17 May 2017.
  9. Michel Rose (16 October 2018), Factbox: France's Emmanuel Macron reshuffles government – only one big move Reuters.
  10. Ingrid Melander (11 July 2017), French state to make 4.5 billion euros in savings this year: paper Reuters.
  11. Michel Rose (16 October 2018), Factbox: France's Emmanuel Macron reshuffles government – only one big move Reuters.
  12. BBC (16 February 2018), Factbox: France: Rape inquiry into Gérald Darmanin dropped BBC.com.
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