Aurélien Pradié (French pronunciation: [oʁeljɛ̃ pʁadje]; born 14 March 1986) is a French politician who has represented the 1st constituency of the Lot department in the National Assembly since 2017. He has also held a seat in the Regional Council of Occitania since 2021, previously in office from 2016 to 2018. In addition to his work in Parliament, he was appointed secretary-general of The Republicans (LR) in 2019 after Christian Jacob was elected party leader, making him its third highest-ranking politician.[1][2]

Aurélien Pradié
Aurélien Pradié in 2017
Member of the National Assembly
for Lot's 1st constituency
Assumed office
21 June 2017
Preceded byDominique Orliac
Member of the Regional Council of Occitania
Assumed office
2 July 2021
PresidentCarole Delga
Vice-President of The Republicans
In office
18 January 2023 – 18 February 2023
PresidentÉric Ciotti
Preceded byAnnie Genevard
Succeeded byFrançois-Xavier Bellamy
General Secretary of The Republicans
In office
23 October 2019 – 18 January 2023
PresidentChristian Jacob
Preceded byAnnie Genevard
Succeeded byAnnie Genevard
Mayor of Labastide-Murat
In office
2014–2018
Personal details
Born (1986-03-14) 14 March 1986 (age 38)
Cahors, France
Political partyUMP
The Republicans
Alma materToulouse 1 University Capitole
Websiteaurelienpradie.fr

Early life and education

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Pradié was born on 14 March 1986 in Cahors to parents who managed a small nut business.[3][4] He has a younger brother who is a baker.[4] After a stroke, his father became a paraplegic. Pradié has said that this moment "forged his commitment" to public service, notably on issues related to the handicapped.[5]

Pradié studied law at Toulouse 1 University Capitole.[6] He worked for the Andros company in Lot under CEO Frédéric Gervoson.[3]

Political career

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Early beginnings

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Beginning in 2007, he served as president of the UMP's youth wing in Lot.[7]

Local politics

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In the 2008 cantonal elections, Pradié was elected in the first round for the canton of Labastide-Murat, becoming the second-youngest councilor in France behind Jean Sarkozy[8] and beating Lucien-Georges Foissac, his former teacher.[3] His campaign, which he led on his Moped, was atypical for local election campaigns.[9]

In 2011, Xavier Bertrand, Minister of Labour, appointed him to look at youth employment.[10]

In 2012, at age 26, Pradié ran as a candidate for the UMP in Lot's 1st constituency. With 40% of the vote in the second round, he was defeated by the incumbent MP Dominique Orliac (PRG). His campaign spending accounts were rejected by the Constitutional Council, which made him ineligible to run again for a year.[11][12]

In the 2014 municipal elections, Pradié was elected mayor of Labastide-Murat, when his party list received over 70% of the vote.[13] He was elected immediate thereafter as president of the Community of Communes for Causse de Labastide-Murat. In this role, he helped open a health centre in the Communes of Labastide-Murat. Following the merger of communities, he became mayor of Cœur-de-Causse (the new merged commune) in 2016.[citation needed]

 
Pradié in 2009

During the electoral redistricting that took place before departmental elections in 2015, the former canton of Labastide-Murat was cut in two and part of the canton was amalgamated into the larger Canton of Causse et Vallées, which included 47 other communes. Pradié criticised the new redistricting, saying it was done to make it more difficult for him to be elected, and declined to run again in the new district. That same year, he was elected a regional councilor in Occitanie, where he sat on the committee for labor, professional development and apprenticeships.[14][15]

On January 5, 2018, following French law against holding cumulative mandates, he resigned from his positions as mayor, president of the Community of Communes and as Regional Councilor.[16] However, he remained a municipal and community councilor. He was succeeded by Brigitte Rivière as a regional councillor.

Member of the National Assembly, 2017–present

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In June 2016, Pradié was nominated by The Republicans in Lot's 1st constituency for the 2017 elections. In the first round, he received 24% of the vote, going up against Sébastien Maurel of La République en marche in the second round. Pradié beat Maurel in the second round with 51.3% of the vote, supported by strong results in rural parts of the district.[3][17] His election made him the youngest MP in the history of Lot and came as a surprise in an area that has historically voted for left-wing parties.[18][4]

In parliament, Pradié has since been serving on the Committee on Legal Affairs. From 2018 until 209, he was also a member of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education. In addition to his committee assignments, he chairs the French-Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group and is a member of the French-Lebanese Parliamentary Friendship Group.[19]

Pradié supported Laurent Wauquiez for the 2017 leadership campaign, nominating him on the final ballot.[20][21] He then became a member of the internal faction known as « Les Populaires », launched by Guillaume Peltier within Les Républicains.[22] In November 2018, Pradié joined the Shadow cabinet of Laurent Wauquiez, in charge of disability issues and solidarity.[23]

In October 2019, after Christian Jacob became leader of The Republicans, Pradié became Secretary-General of the party.[24][25]

In October 2018, Pradié defended a bill in the National Assembly in favor of better inclusion of handicapped children and adolescents in public schools. This bill would have included better status for the students and their caregivers on campus and had widespread political support, but was rejected by La République En Marche!.[26][27]

On December 8, 2018, Pradié launched the first "Citizens Council of Lot" in Cahors, as he promised to do during his election campaign.[28]

At the Republicans’ national convention in December 2021, Pradié was part of the 11-member committee which oversaw the party's selection of its candidate for the 2022 presidential elections.[29] He also served as one of the six spokespersons for the LR candidate, Valérie Pécresse.[30]

In 2023, the Republicans' leadership dismissed Pradié as deputy party leader, after he had failed to join the party in backing President Emmanuel Macron's plan to raise the retirement age.[31]

Political positions

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Pradié has described himself as being on the sensible right, close to the ideologies of predecessors President of France like Jacques Chirac and Georges Pompidou. A member of the Georges Pompidou Institute,[32] he joined the scientific council of the Jacques Chirac Foundation in April 2018.[33]

In July 2019, Pradié voted against the French ratification of the European Union’s Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.[34]

Recognition

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In February 2020, Pradié received the "MP of the Year" award from political organization Le Trombinoscope.[35]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Loris Boichot (2 January 2020), Aurélien Pradié, catégorie jeune espoir, Le Figaro.
  2. ^ Dominique Albertini (30 March 2020), Planification, «révolution des salaires» : les idées-choc du numéro 3 de LR, Libération.
  3. ^ a b c d "Aurélien Pradié, député du Lot, jeune loup de droite élu en terre radicale". L'Obs (in French). AFP. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Schneider, Vanessa (7 June 2019). "Aurélien Pradié, le jeune député LR qui roule encore à droite". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  5. ^ Laurent, Quentin (28 October 2019). "Les Républicains : qui est Aurélien Pradié, l'étoile montante de la droite?". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  6. ^ Benayoun, Laurent; Calonius, Ria (29 February 2008). "Canton de Labastide-Murat. Duel droite-gauche au cœur du département". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  7. ^ Benayoun, Laurent (24 December 2007). "Labastide-murat. Aurélien Pradié confirme sa candidature". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ^ Jeudy, Bruno; Garat, Jean-Baptiste (30 November 2009). "La "génération Sarkozy" à l'assaut des régions". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Cahors. Aurélien Pradié : "Je ne veux pas ressembler aux autres"". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  10. ^ Benayoun, Laurent (23 April 2011). "Cahors. Emploi jeunes : une mission pour Pradié". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  11. ^ Benayoun, Laurent (14 February 2013). "Labastide-Murat. Comptes de campagne déficitaires : Aurélien Pradié (UMP) inéligible un an". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  12. ^ Benayoun, Laurent (14 February 2013). "Cahors. L'affaire Pradié secoue la classe politique". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  13. ^ Benayoun, Laurent (8 April 2014). "Labastide-Murat. Aurélien Pradié, plus jeune maire du Lot". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  14. ^ Haudebourg, Véronique (14 December 2015). "Qui sont les conseillers régionaux de Midi-Pyrénées-Languedoc-Roussillon ?". France 3 Occitanie (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Grande région : dans quelles commissions siègent vos élus ?". ladepeche.fr (in French). 22 January 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  16. ^ Louison, Marc (17 January 2018). "En 2018, Aurélien Pradié va continuer à être un " député pirate "". La Vie Quercynoise (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Résultats des élections législatives 2017". interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Les-resultats/Legislatives/elecresult__legislatives-2017 (in French). Ministère de l'Intérieur. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  18. ^ Boucleinville, Hervé (19 June 2017). "Lot : une bonne étoile pour Aurélien Pradié". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. ^ Aurélien Pradié National Assembly.
  20. ^ Vigogne, Ludovic (11 October 2017). "La liste des 136 parrains de Laurent Wauquiez". L'Opinion (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  21. ^ Le Guay, Virginie (16–22 November 2017). "La jeune garde de Laurent Wauquiez". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Peltier lance le mouvement " Les Populaires " au sein des Républicains". Ouest-France.fr (in French). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  23. ^ Dubois, Laurent (29 January 2018). "Le député (LR) du Lot Aurélien Pradié dans le " contre-gouvernement " de Laurent Wauquiez". France 3 Midi-Pyrénées (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  24. ^ Souperbie, Thibaut (23 October 2019). "Les Républicains : Aurélien Pradié, nommé secrétaire général". Medialot (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  25. ^ Caubel, Théo (23 October 2019). "Le député du Lot, Aurélien Pradié, nommé secrétaire général des Républicains". France Bleu Occitanie (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  26. ^ Moullot, Pauline (12 October 2018). "Comment les députés LREM ont-ils bloqué la proposition de loi sur les élèves en situation de handicap ?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  27. ^ Damgé, Mathilde; Durand, Anne-Aël (12 October 2018). "Handicap : la promesse de Macron sur les accompagnants scolaires est-elle tenue ?". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Conseil des Lotois. Première réunion d'installation à Cahors". actu.fr (in French). 10 December 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  29. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (12 October 2021), Congrès LR: après le oui de Bertrand, les choses sérieuses commencent L'Opinion.
  30. ^ Pierre-Alain Furbury (4 January 2022), Présidentielle 2022 : comment Valérie Pécresse veut faire campagne Les Echos.
  31. ^ Sudip Kar-Gupta, Nicolas Delame and Elizabeth Pineau (28 February 2023), France's Les Republicains party sacks deputy leader Reuters.
  32. ^ Souperbie, Thibaut (15 February 2017). "Législatives : Aurélien Pradié entre en campagne". Medialot (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  33. ^ Souperbie, Thibaut (22 April 2018). "Aurélien Pradié intègre le conseil scientifique de la Fondation Jacques Chirac". Medialot (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  34. ^ Maxime Vaudano (24 July 2019), CETA : qui a voté quoi parmi les députés Le Monde.
  35. ^ "L'élu lotois Aurélien Pradié reçoit le prix du Député de l'année". ladepeche.fr (in French). 12 February 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.