Fabien Roussel

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Fabien Roussel
Roussel in 2018
National Secretary of the French Communist Party
Assumed office
25 November 2018
Preceded byPierre Laurent
Member of the National Assembly
for Nord's 20th constituency
Assumed office
21 June 2017
Preceded byAlain Bocquet
Personal details
Born (1969-04-16) 16 April 1969 (age 54)
Béthune, France
Political partyFrench Communist Party
ProfessionJournalist, politician
WebsiteWebsite

Fabien Roussel (French pronunciation: [fabjɛ̃ ʁusɛl]; born 16 April 1969) is a French politician who has served as national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF) since 2018. He was elected to represent the 20th constituency of the Nord department in the National Assembly in 2017[1] and was a candidate in the 2022 presidential election in which he placed eighth in the first round.

Early life[edit]

From a family of activists,[2] Fabien Roussel is the son of Daniel Roussel, former journalist at L'Humanité.[3] After he finished high school in Champigny-sur-Marne, in the Paris region, he graduated from the Journalists Development Centre (CPJ).[4] He began his career as an image reporter at the Ardennes regional branch of television channel France 3. One of his paternal great-grandfathers was a Spanish refugee who died after being interned in the Vernet camp.[5]

Early political career[edit]

During his high school years, Fabien Roussel engaged in the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France (MJCF) to denounce the apartheid in South Africa and demanded the release of Nelson Mandela. He also participated in major demonstrations against the Monory law and Devaquet bill, related respectively to employee shareholding and university organisation.

From 1997, he was advisor in charge of communication for Communist Michelle Demessine, then Secretary of State for Tourism under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.[6] He then worked for Jean-Jacques Candelier and Alain Bocquet.

Political career[edit]

In 2017, Roussel was elected to succeed Bocquet as the Member of Parliament for the 20th constituency of Nord as a member of the French Communist Party. He became party leader in 2018.

On 9 May 2021, Roussel won the Communist nomination for the 2022 presidential election.[7]

Political positions[edit]

Roussel takes progressive positions on socioeconomic issues and favours raising the minimum wage to €1,500 a month post-tax, as well as reducing the workweek to 32 hours and lowering the retirement age to 60. Unlike many French leftists, he is strongly supportive of nuclear power and has expressed a positive view of hunting.[8] He has expressed support for the 2023 pension reform strikes.[9]

Personal life[edit]

Roussel lives with his partner Dorothée, a civil servant of category C.[10][11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nord - 20ème circonscription : Résultats des élections législatives 2017". Lexpress.fr. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Congrès du PC : Chez les Roussel, communiste de père en fils", La Voix du Nord (in French), 23 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Congrès du PCF : Fabien Roussel, un puncheur pour ranimer le PC dans les médias et les urnes". La Voix du Nord (in French). 25 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. ^ "LesBiographies.com". Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Fabien Roussel, fossettes et marteau".
  6. ^ "LEGISLATIVES - 20e CIRCONSCRIPTION DU NORD - C'est fait, Fabien Roussel, l'héritier, dans le siège d'Alain Bocquet". La Voix du Nord. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  7. ^ Mestre, Abel (9 May 2021). "Présidentielle 2022 : Fabien Roussel, candidat pour le Parti communiste" [Presidential election 2022 : Fabien Roussel, Communist Party candidate]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  8. ^ "French elections: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Fabien Roussel". The Local. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ Angelique Chrisafis (16 March 2023). "Macron uses special powers to force through plan to raise pension age". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  10. ^ de Ravinel, Sophie (15 August 2021). "Fabien Roussel, la cuisine idéale pour un été en camping 2 étoiles" [Fabien Roussel, the ideal 2-star cooking for a camping summer]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  11. ^ Moreau, Sarah (14 February 2022). "Fabien Roussel amoureux : le candidat à la présidentielle publie une photo de son couple pour la Saint-Valentin" [Fabien Roussel in love : The presidential candidate publishes a photo of the couple for Saint Valentine's Day]. Voici (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2022.

External links[edit]