Clermont-Ferrand (AFP)
Former Socialist Minister Michel Charasse, 78, died of a long illness on the night of Thursday to Friday at Clermont-Ferrand hospital, said an official of the town hall of Puy-Guillaume (Puy- de-Dôme), city in which he was mayor for 33 years.
"The town hall is able to confirm that Michel Charasse died last night," said the official, confirming information from France-Bleu Auvergne.
Known for having been very close to François Mitterrand and an atypical figure of the Socialist Party, Michel Charasse had been Minister of the Budget in the government of Michel Rocard in 1988 and had ended his career among the wise men of the Constitutional Council, from 2010 to 2019.
He appeared on January 27 at the Elysée Palace, where Emmanuel Macron had given him the insignia of officer of the Legion of Honor. Previously, the Head of State had visited Michel Charasse during two trips to Auvergne, in January 2018 and then in October 2019, where he met him at the hospital where he was being treated.
"It is the loss of a dear friend. It is the disappearance of a great statesman," quickly reacted Friday to AFP the Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet.
"He died at 3:00 a.m. that night, the Republic is in mourning because he was a great Republican," said the chairman of the Puy-de-Dôme general council, Jean-Yves Gouttebel, a relative of Mr. Charasse. .
Also close to the former minister, the former socialist senator Michèle André for her part expressed her "sadness" and greeted "a great worker, with total loyalty to François Mitterrand". "If I entered politics, it is thanks to him, I owe him my career," said Puy-de-Dôme senator Eric Gold, saying "very moved".
Born July 8, 1941 in Chamalières (Puy-de-Dôme), graduated in law and graduated from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, he had obtained his first elective mandate in 1977, as mayor of Puy-Guillaume where he was constantly re-elected until 2010.
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