Martine Aubry | |
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First Secretary of the Socialist Party | |
In office 26 November 2008 – 12 September 2012* |
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Preceded by | François Hollande |
Succeeded by | Harlem Désir |
Mayor of Lille | |
Assumed office 25 March 2001 |
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Preceded by | Pierre Mauroy |
Minister of Social Affairs | |
In office 2 June 1997 – 18 October 2000 |
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Prime Minister | Lionel Jospin |
Preceded by | Jean-Claude Gaudin |
Succeeded by | Élisabeth Guigou |
Minister of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training | |
In office 15 May 1991 – 28 March 1993 |
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Prime Minister |
Édith Cresson Pierre Bérégovoy |
Preceded by | Jean-Pierre Soisson |
Succeeded by | Michel Giraud |
Member of the National Assembly for Nord's 5th Constituency |
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In office 12 June 1997 – 4 July 1997 |
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Preceded by | Bernard Davoine |
Succeeded by | Bernard Davoine |
Personal details | |
Born |
Martine Louise Marie Delors 8 August 1950 Paris, France |
Political party | Socialist Party |
Alma mater |
Pantheon-Assas University Institute of Political Studies, Paris National School of Administration, Strasbourg |
Signature | |
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Martine Louise Marie Aubry (French pronunciation: [maʁtin obʁi]; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste, or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the first female Mayor of Lille (Nord) since March 2001. Her father, Jacques Delors, served as Minister of Finance under President François Mitterrand and was also President of the European Commission.
Aubry joined the PS in 1974 and was appointed Minister of Labour by Prime Minister Édith Cresson in 1991, but lost her position in 1993 after the Right won the legislative elections. However, she became Minister of Social Affairs when Lionel Jospin was appointed Prime Minister in 1997. She is mostly known for having pushed the popular 35-hour workweek law, known as the "Loi Aubry", reducing the nominal length of the normal full-time working week from 39 to 35 hours, and the law that created Couverture maladie universelle (Universal health care coverage).
Aubry stepped down from her Cabinet post in 2001 to be elected Mayor of Lille in place of Pierre Mauroy. Aubry subsequently lost her seat in the National Assembly in the general election of 2002. In March 2008, she was reelected Mayor of Lille, with 66.55% of the votes.
In November 2008, Aubry was elected to lead the Socialist Party, narrowly defeating Ségolène Royal. While Royal disputed the results, the Socialist Party declared on November 25, 2008 that Aubry had won the contested election. On 28 June 2011, Martine Aubry announced she would seek the Socialist nomination to run in the 2012 presidential election, ultimately losing to François Hollande, her predecessor as First Secretary.