François Asselineau
President of the Popular Republican Union
Assumed office
25 March 2007
Preceded byOffice established
Councillor of Paris
In office
25 March 2001 – 24 March 2008
Constituency19th arrondissement
Personal details
Born (1957-09-14) 14 September 1957
Paris, France
Political partyPopular Republican Union
Alma materESCP Europe
École nationale d'administration
OccupationCivil Servant
Politician
ProfessionInspector General
Business School professor
Websitefrancoisasselineau.fr

François Asselineau (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa asəlino] ⓘ, born 14 September 1957) is a French politician and an Inspector General for finances.

Asselineau was a member of the Rally for France (RPF) and UMP[1][2] before creating his own political party the Popular Republican Union (Union Populaire Républicaine or UPR). His movement promotes France's unilateral withdrawal from the European Union, the Eurozone and NATO. Asselineau has been described as a souverainist,[3] but does not self-identify as such.[4] Although he identifies as being on neither side of the left–right political spectrum, he has been described as right-wing to far-right.[5][3][6]

Asselineau has had a troubled relationship with the media, which he has repeatedly accused of "censorship". In his critique he includes French Wikipedia, which had once considered him insufficiently noteworthy to justify a page in the encyclopedia. The activism of his supporters to try and increase media coverage of Asselineau and the UPR has been noted by some observers.[7]

He ran in the 2017 French presidential election, presenting himself as the "Frexit candidate".[5] He was eventually eliminated in the first round, earning 0.92% of the votes.[8] For the 2022 presidential election he failed to secure 500 sponsorships from elected officials in order to run.

Education

Asselineau enrolled in HEC Paris where he graduated in 1980 with the MSc in Management. He enrolled at the École nationale d'administration (promotion "Léonard de Vinci", 1985).[9]

Career

Asselineau started his career in Japan in the department of economic expansion for National Service Overseas (CSNE). Served in 1985 as inspector General in the inspection générale des Finances.

From 1989 to 1990, he was chief of mission for the National Credit. He was also president of the direction of the Society for Economical and Financial Analysis and Diagnostic (SADEF). In 1991, he became chief of mission of the Asia-Oceania office at the Direction of Foreign Economical Relation (DREE) in the Ministry of Economy and Finance under the Pierre Bérégovoy government.

From 1994 to 1995, he served as counsellor for international affairs[10] in the Ministry of Industry under the Edouard Balladur government.

In June 1995, he was named director of the office of the Ministry of Tourism. In 1996, he moved to the ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was in charge of economic matters for Asia, Oceania and Latin America until the dissolution of parliament by Jacques Chirac in 1997.

Political career

In 1999, François Asselineau got involved in politics by becoming a member of the Rally for France (RPF), a party created by Charles Pasqua and Philippe de Villiers. He became a member of the national bureau, director of studies and spokesman of the party until autumn 2005. On July 27, 2000, he became vice-director of the general council of the Hauts-de-Seine. He was in charge of economic and international affairs. On May 23, 2001, Charles Pasqua nominated François Asselineau as the director of his office of the presidency of the general council of Hauts-de-Seine[11] where he worked until March 30, 2004, when Nicolas Sarkozy took over the position of Charles Pasqua.

On October 20, 2004, Nicolas Sarkozy appointed Asselineau as the director of the general delegation for economic intelligence within the Minister of Economy and Finance.

In November 2006, Asselineau joined the steering committee of Rally for an Independent and Sovereign France (RIF), a party created by Paul-Marie Coûteaux,[12]

Municipal councillor

On March 19, 2001, he was elected as a member of the council of Paris in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. His list, a right-wing dissident list made with an agreement between Jean Tiberi and Charles Pasqua, was third with 15,78% in a triangular against a Rally for the Republic (RPR) list and unified left list composed with Socialist Party (PS).[13] His campaign was marked by a radical rhetoric on security, with posters denouncing "six years of socialist laxity", supposed drug trafficking, alleged prostitution and an asserted lack of police forces.[14]

On December 31, 2004, Asselineau decided to join the group Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) at the Council of Paris.[15] On November 3, 2006, he decided to quit the group and seat with the non-inscrits just after Françoise de Panafieu, for whom he worked, was elected president of the council of Paris for the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).[16]

In September 2007, Asselineau participated in a dissident political group named Paris Libre with several other ex-UMP members.[17] The group ran several lists against the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), and Asselineau ran a list in the 17e arrondissement de Paris against Françoise de Panafieu.[18] However, he then backtracked,[19] denouncing consequent pressure on the members of his list.[20]

Creation of the UPR

On March 25, 2007, for the 50th anniversary of the Rome Treaty signature, he created the Popular Republican Union (UPR).[21]

Election results

In January 2011, François Asselineau announced his intention to run for the 2012 French presidential election,[22] and confirmed this intention in December 2011.[23] However, he was only able to garner 17 of the required 500 endorsements from elected politicians necessary to be on the ballot.[21][24][25] As a result, Asselineau called for a boycott of the presidential election.

Following the Cahuzac affair and the resignation of Jérôme Cahuzac, for whom Asselineau had worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance, Asselineau ran for the legislative by-election in Lot-et-Garonne's 3rd constituency, with Régis Chamagne.[26] They failed to reach the second round with a score of 189 votes (0.58%).[27]

Asselineau ran for the 2014 European Parliament election as the head of the list for the Île-de-France constituency. He hoped that the UPR's agenda could rally voters disappointed by the current political system.[28][29] Asselineau complained to the CSA for not having had access to mainstream media; he also claimed that the principle of equity for all candidates was actually undermined by the media, that tended to give voice to parties that were already well-known.[30] He scored 0.56% of votes cast in his constituency.[31]

Political views

François Asselineau's 'souverainiste' platform has two main targets, the European Union and the United States.[32] He insists that France should leave the Eurozone,[33] the European Union, and NATO.[32] According to Asselineau, the EU and NATO "as seen from Washington...are the political and military side of the same coin, that of the enthrallment of the European continent to their 'buffer zone' so as to surround and contain the Russian continental power".[33] He says the process leading to European unification was launched solely upon orders from the American government.

Asselineau denies he is a "eurosceptic", preferring to call himself a "euro-atheist".[34] He said on the French TV program On n'est pas couché that he opposes military intervention in Syria and Iraq.[3][7]: 27'45" 

Asselineau claims the 1944 Conseil national de la Résistance as the source of inspiration for his presidential program in 2012, including "re-nationalisations" and "quality public services".[35][36] Asselineau does not say what should be done about "the major national issues such as nuclear power in France, the French debt crisis or the decisions to be made about immigration, [which] should be addressed through referendums",[33] "once France has left the European Union".[7]

Asselineau opposes French COVID-19 immunity passports. In July 2021, Asselineau tested positive for the disease and advocated the use of Ivermectin as treatment.[37]

Controversies

Accusations of sexual harassement

In May 2020, Asselineau's former driver and press secretary filed a complaint against him for sexual harassement and sexual assault. Another complaint is filed by another former collaborator against Asselineau for psychological and sexual harassement.[38][39][40]

Since 5 February 2021, Asselineau has been under investigation and placed under judicial supervision for the alleged sexual assault, sexual and moral harassement of two of his former collaborators. He has denied all the allegations made against him.[41]

Electoral performance

Logo of François Asselineau
President of the French Republic
Election year Candidate # of 1st round votes  % of 1st round vote # of 2nd round votes  % of 2nd round vote Won/Loss
2017 François Asselineau 332,547 0.92% #9 __ __ Lost

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Démission remarquée à l'UMP". Le Parisien. 3 October 2006.
  2. ↑ "Ça bouge à l'UMP". Le Parisien. 31 December 2004. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Laure Daussy (24 September 2014). "Mais qui est François Asselineau, le souverainiste sans page Wikipedia ?" [But who is François Asselineau, the "souverainist" without a Wikipedia page?]. Arrêt sur images. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "François Asselineau : "Quand mon nom apparaît dans un sondage en ligne, on casse la baraque"". Franceinfo (in French). 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  5. 1 2 France’s 'Frexit' presidential candidate, La Croix, 10 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "UPR Union Populaire Républicaine – Actualité et info sur France Bleu". ici, par France Bleu et France 3 (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  7. 1 2 3 François Asselineau de l'Union Populaire Républicaine - On n'est pas couché, 20 septembre 2014 on YouTube, at 2 mn 10" (accessed on October 4th, 2014).
  8. ↑ Clarke, Seán; Holder, Josh; Clarke, Seán; Holder, Josh. "French presidential election: first round results in charts and maps". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Arrêté du 31 mai 1985 portant affectation aux carrières des élèves de la promotion 1983-1985 de l'École nationale d'ndministration ayant terminé leur scolarité au mois de mai 1985 (élèves issus des concours externe et interne)". Journal officiel de la République française. Légifrance. 1 June 1985. p. 6089.
  10. ↑ "Cabinet de Gérard Longuet Philippe ANDRES François ASSELINEAU". 16566. Les Échos. 21 January 1994. p. 39. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Le Monde.fr: Archives". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Laurent de Boissieu. "Rassemblement pour l'indépendance et la souveraineté de la France (RIF)". France-Politique.fr. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "Ile-de-France. Paris (75)". Libération. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Popelard, Allan (2019-10-01). "Ces Français qui militent pour le " Frexit "". Le Monde diplomatique (in French). Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  15. ↑ "Ça bouge à l'UMP". leparisien.fr. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "Démission remarquée à l'UMP". leparisien.fr. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Marie-Anne GAIRAUD (September 27, 2007). "Bertrand Delanoë bientôt dans les arrondissements..." Le Parisien.
  18. ↑ "24 Heures". Le Parisien. December 22, 2007.
  19. ↑ Benoît Hasse (February 26, 2008). "Panafieu malmenée dans son fief du XVIIe". Le Parisien.
  20. ↑ "XVIIe: un divers droite jette l'éponge". Le Figaro. Agence France-Presse. February 21, 2008.
  21. 1 2 Béatrice Houchard (30 May 2013). "Trois recalés de la présidentielle en repêchage à Villeneuve-sur-Lot". Le Figaro. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  22. ↑ Choq FM, "L'autre monde" (The other world), 14 February 2011
  23. ↑ "Asselineau candidat à la présidentielle". leparisien.fr. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  24. ↑ "Les candidats à la présidentielle: Jacques Cheminade a ses 500 signatures, pas Corinne Lepage". La Tribune. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "François Asselineau, le candidat extrêmement "divers"". L'Opinion. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  26. ↑ J.Sch. "Villeneuve-sur-lot. L'UPR entre conquête et résistance". LaDépêche.fr. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Ville de Villeneuve sur Lot - Election législative partielle: les résultats définitifs". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "Asselineau (UPR) à Ermont". leparisien.fr. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "Essonne: Les 'petits partis' partent à l'assaut des européennes". Essonne Info - Site d'actualité et d'information en Essonne. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  30. ↑ Yann Thompson, Européennes: la galère des petits candidats, France Télévisions, 21 May 2014
  31. ↑ "European Parliament Election Results". francetv info. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  32. 1 2 François Asselineau fact sheet Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine on the website of the French version of the magazine Slate, retrieved on 12 March 2012
  33. 1 2 3 Asselineau, François (24 March 2012). "Les monnaies plurinationales finissent toujours par exploser". Causeur. Interviewed by Florentin Piffard. Archived from the original on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 19 Feb 2023.
  34. ↑ Qui est François Asselineau ? Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Valeurs actuelles, September 22d, 2014
  35. ↑ Ève Moulinier, Le Dauphiné libéré, 12 February 2012, page 4
  36. ↑ Dupont, Isabelle (29 February 2012). "Un 'petit candidat' contre la grande Europe". Nord Éclair. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013.
  37. ↑ "François Asselineau : Positif au Covid-19, il ne participera pas aux manifestations contre l'extension du pass sanitaire".
  38. ↑ "François Asselineau accusé de harcélement sexuel". Libération. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  39. ↑ "Deuxième plainte contre François Asselineau : "J'ai son corps sur moi. Ça dure une éternité"". Libération. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  40. ↑ "Face aux enquêteurs, François Asselineau et ses accusateurs maintiennent leurs versions". Le Monde. 8 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  41. ↑ "François Asselineau a été mis en examen pour harcèlement et agressions sexuelles". Le Monde. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
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