Valérie Pécresse


Valérie Pécresse is a French politician. She has been deputy of the Yvelines since 16 May 2002, Minister for Higher Education and Research from 18 May 2007 to June 2011 and Minister of the Budget from then until May 2012. She was also the Government's spokeswoman.

Biography

Pécresse is the daughter of Dominique Roux.
Pécresse has degrees from HEC Paris and ÉNA. She was an auditor of the Conseil d'État until 1998, when she was designated Counselor of the President of the French Republic. She speaks French, English, Russian and Japanese.
In June 2002, she was elected deputy of the Yvelines' second constituency. She was also elected regional counselor of Île-de-France in 2004. Pécresse was a national spokeswoman of the UMP, and spokeswoman of the party in the Yvelines.
On 18 May 2007, she was designated Minister of Higher Education and Research of François Fillon's second cabinet.
There, she has launched many reforms which have caused a great wave of strikes.
In 2009, the Académie de la Carpette anglaise, an organization that opposes the spread of the English language in Francophone countries, gave Pécresse the Prix de la Carpette Anglaise for having refused to speak French at international meetings in Brussels, Belgium; Pécresse had stated that English was the easiest means of communication.
After the defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election of 2012, Pécresse remains a key member of the Union for a Popular Movement.
In 2016 Republican presidential primary she endorsed former prime minister Alain Juppé.
Rival to Laurent Wauquiez, in July 2017, she founded her own political movement Libres! before later announcing her resignation from The Republicans on 5 June 2019, three days after his resignation from the presidency of the party.

Political career

Governmental function
Government's spokeswoman : 2011-2012.
Ministre of Budget, Public accounts and State reform : 2011-2012.
Minister of Higher Education and Research : 2007-2011.
Electoral mandates
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Yvelines : 2002–2007. Elected in 2002, reelected in 2007.
Regional Council
Regional councillor of Île-de-France : Since 2004. Reelected in 2010.