François Léotard
French politician (1942–2023) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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François Gérard Marie Léotard (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa ʒeʁaʁ maʁi leɔtaʁ]; 26 March 1942 – 25 April 2023) was a French politician. Singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother.
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François Léotard | |
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Minister of Defence | |
In office 30 March 1993 – 18 May 1995 | |
President | François Mitterrand |
Prime Minister | Édouard Balladur |
Preceded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
Succeeded by | Charles Millon |
Minister of Culture | |
In office 20 March 1986 – 10 May 1988 | |
President | François Mitterrand |
Prime Minister | Jacques Chirac |
Preceded by | Jack Lang |
Succeeded by | Jack Lang |
President of the UDF | |
In office 1996–1998 | |
Preceded by | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
Succeeded by | François Bayrou |
Mayor of Fréjus | |
In office 1977–1997 | |
Preceded by | Léon Héritier |
Succeeded by | Élie Brun |
Personal details | |
Born | (1942-03-26)26 March 1942 Cannes, France |
Died | 25 April 2023(2023-04-25) (aged 81) Fréjus, France |
Political party | UDF |
Relatives | Philippe Léotard (brother) |
Alma mater | Sciences Po, ÉNA |
A member of the Republican Party, the liberal-conservative component of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he appeared in the foreground of the political scene in the 1980s. He led a new generation of right-wing politicians, the "renovationmen", who opposed the old right-wing leaders Jacques Chirac and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
In 1981, he was selected to be one of the first Young Leaders of the French-American Foundation.[1] His political career started with being elected as the mayor of Fréjus in 1977. He served two terms as the deputy of Var.[2]
As culture minister from 1986 to 1988,[3] he sold the main public TV channel TF1.[4] He returned to the French cabinet as defense minister, from 1993 to 1995.[3][5] Supporting the candidacy of Edouard Balladur in the 1995 presidential election, he was dismissed after Chirac's election. Elected president of the UDF in 1996, he could not prevent the split of this confederation two years later with Alain Madelin's secession. This and the party's poor showing in the 1998 regional elections prompted his resignation. After a mission in Macedonia in 2001 as representative of the European Union,[6] he retired from politics. In 2003, he created together with other prominent European personalities the Medbridge Strategy Center, whose goal is to promote dialogue and mutual understanding between Europe and the Middle East.[7] He later authored several books.