The essentials
Former Île-de-France council president Jean-Paul Huchon has died at 80 from cancer, closing a long regional and national political career.
Jean-Paul Huchon died at the age of 80 from cancer. He presided over the Île-de-France regional council from 1998 to 2015, a tenure of seventeen years in the Paris region.
Huchon began his public career after he graduated from ENA and worked at the French budget directorate until 1981. He later served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Michel Rocard and was second in command of the Socialist Party under Rocard.
His regional tenure ended after he lost the 2015 Île-de-France regional election to Valérie Pécresse. In 2021, he supported Pécresse rather than joining a left alliance, a decision that departed from that approach in the contest.
Following his death, Valérie Pécresse publicly expressed grief on X.
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Two decades at the helm of the Île-de-France council
Huchon's presidency of the Île-de-France regional council ran from 1998 to 2015, a span of seventeen years. That period of governance ended with his defeat in the 2015 regional election by Valérie Pécresse. His death prompts review of that tenure as well as his earlier work in national government under Michel Rocard.
Valérie Pécresse publicly mourns Huchon, her 2015 election rival
Valérie Pécresse, who defeated Huchon in the 2015 Île-de-France regional election, publicly expressed grief over his death on X. Her message follows a contest between the two in 2015. In 2021, Huchon backed Pécresse rather than joining a left alliance, a choice that shaped their later relationship in regional politics.