Emmanuel
Macron born 21 December 1977) is a French politician, senior
civil servant, former investment
banker,
and leading candidate for the French presidency in the upcoming
elections in April-May 2017.
Born
in Amiens,
he studied Philosophy at Paris
Nanterre University,
and later graduated from the École
nationale d'administration (ENA)
in 2004. He went on to become an Inspector
of Finances in the French Inspectorate General of Finances
(IGF) before
becoming an investment banker at Rothschild
& Cie Banque.
A member of the French
Socialist Party (PS) from
2006 to 2009, he was appointed deputy secretary-general
under François
Hollande's
first government in 2012 before being appointed Minister
of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs in
2014 under the Second
Valls Government,
where
he pushed through business-friendly reforms. He resigned in August
2016,
in
order to launch a social
liberal bid
in the 2017
presidential election.
In
November 2016, Macron declared that he would stand in the election
under the banner of En
Marche!,
a movement he founded in April 2016.
Born
in Amiens,
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron is the son of Jean-Michel
Macron, Professor of Neurology at
the University
of Picardy,
and Françoise Macron-Noguès, a doctor.
He
was educated mostly at the La Providence lycée in
Amiens
before
his parents sent him to finish his last year of school
at
the élite high
school Lycée
Henri-IV in Paris. He studied Philosophy at the University
of Paris-Ouest Nanterre La Défense,
obtaining a DEA degree.
He
obtained a degree in Public Affairs at Sciences
Po,
before training for a senior civil service career at the École
nationale d'administration (ENA),
graduating in 2004
Macron
worked as an Inspector
of Finances in the French Ministry of Economy between
2004 and 2008. In 2007, he served as deputy rapporteur for the
Commission to improve French growth headed by Jacques
Attali.
He
left to work as an investment banker at Rothschild
& Cie Banque.
While at Rothschild, he closed a high-profile deal
between Nestlé and Pfizer,
which
made him a millionaire.
Macron
was a member of the Socialist
Party (PS)
from 2006 to 2009. In 2015, during an interview on BFM
TV,
he stated that he was no longer a member of the PS and was now an
Independent.
From
2012 to 2014, he served as deputy secretary-general of the Élysée,
a senior role in President
Hollande's staff.
He
was appointed Minister
of Economy, Industry and Digital Data in
the second Valls
Cabinet on
26 August 2014, replacing Arnaud
Montebourg.
As
Minister of the Economy, Macron was at the forefront of pushing
through business-friendly reforms. In February 2015, he pledged that
government would force through reforms despite opposition from the
parliament. The statement came in response to European Commission
pressure over repeatedly missed public deficit targets.
On
30 August 2016, Macron resigned from the government ahead of the 2017
presidential election,
with the view of launching a social
liberal bid
for the presidency.
This
came shortly after he founded his own progressive
political
movement, En
Marche!,
an independent political party, for which he was reprimanded by
President Hollande.
On
16 November 2016, Macron formally declared his candidacy for the
French presidency after months of speculation. In his announcement
speech, Macron called for a "democratic revolution" and
promised to "unblock France".
Emmanuel
Macron has been described by some observers as a social
liberal and
by others as a social
democrat.
During
his time in the French
Socialist Party,
he supported the party's conservative wing,
whose
political stance has been associated with "third
way"
policies advanced by Bill
Clinton, Tony
Blair and Gerhard
Schröder,
and whose leading spokesman has been former prime minister Manuel
Valls.
Macron
has notably advocated in favor of the free
market and
reducing the public-finances deficit.
Macron
publicly used the term "liberal" to describe himself for
the first time in 2015 in an interview with Le
Monde.
He added that he is certainly "not ultra-liberal," "neither
right nor left," and that he advocates "a collective
solidarity."
During
a visit to the Vendée in
August 2016, he stated, "Honesty compels me to say that I am not
a socialist." He explained that he was part of the "left
government" at the time because he wanted "to serve the
public interest" as any minister would.
In
his book Revolution, published in November 2016, Macron
presented himself as both a "leftist" and a "liberal
... if by liberalism one means trust in man."
With
his party En
Marche!,
Macron's stated aim is to transcend the left-right divide in a manner
similar to François
Bayrou or Jacques
Chaban-Delmas,
asserting that "the real divide in our country ... is between
progressives and conservatives." With the launch of his
independent candidacy and his use of anti-establishment rhetoric,
Macron has been labelled a "populist" by some observers,
notably Manuel
Valls,
but he rejects this term.
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