Alain Madelin

Alain Madelin (born March 26, 1946) is a French politician and a former minister of that country.

Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored a meager 3.91% on the first round. He is now a member of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire party and a deputy in the French National Assembly.

He was minister of Industry in Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's cabinet from 1986 to 1988, a minister of Business in Prime Minister Édouard Balladur's cabinet from 1993 to 1995, and a minister of Economy and Finances in Prime Minister Alain Juppé's cabinet.

He has been continuously re-elected as Ille-et-Vilaine's representative at the National Assembly since 1978.

Madelin is the French major politician the most in favor of the international policies of the United States, and supported the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. Because of this, he has, in the past, generally been considered with favor by the US press.

In the late 1960s, he was a member of the Occident far-right group before joining the UDF center-right party. Occident had fascist leanings, engaged in violent assaults on political opponents, especially Communists, and sought to overthrow the democratic government of Charles de Gaulle.

See also

• Politics of France

External link

• Alain Madelin's website