Paris (AFP)

Christian Poncelet, a "faithful Gaullist" and former President of the Senate between 1998 and 2008, died on Friday at the age of 92 after a political career spanning more than half a century during which he exercised almost every role. mandates.

"Like many Romarimontains and Vosgiens, I am imbued with immense sadness on learning of the death of President Poncelet. Let us hope that where he will be, his great humanity will still be able to express itself. Goodbye President, goodbye + Ponpon +", a announced to AFP Jean Hingray, mayor of Remiremont, commune of the Vosges whose former second figure of the State was himself mayor from 1983 to 2001.

Emmanuel Macron greeted at the end of the afternoon in a tweet a "warm elected official forged by the republican meritocracy, high figure of Gaullism, convinced European, tenor of Parliament".

The President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, paid tribute to "a passionate elected official" who "devoted his life to public affairs and to his territory".

Former Socialist Senate President Jean-Pierre Bel praised "the strength of his convictions but also his open-mindedness", stressing "the humanism and the very great kindness" of "this great republican".

The boss of LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, hailed "a man passionate about France, rooted in his department of the Vosges" and author of an "impressive political career".

In fact, Christian Poncelet, who readily described himself as "a convinced European and a loyal Gaullist", held a considerable number of elective mandates for more than fifty years.

Alternately deputy, municipal, regional and general councilor (for 52 years), mayor, MEP and senator, he was also Secretary of State in three governments.

Those of Pierre Messmer (1973-1974), Jacques Chirac (1974-1976) and Raymond Barre (1976-1977), linking the Budget then Relations with Parliament after Social Affairs and the Civil Service.

- Controversies -

Born March 24, 1928 in Blaise (Ardennes), Mr. Poncelet attended the National Vocational School of PTT before being appointed telecommunications controller in 1953.

Former member of the national confederal committee of the CFTC, he entered politics in 1962 by being elected deputy (UNR) of the Vosges, a mandate that he found in 1967, 1968 and 1973. He was elected in 1963 general councilor of the same. department before assuming the chairmanship of the board for nearly 40 years.

The father of two children, he served three terms as President of the Senate from 1998 in an effort to modernize this old institution.

With the reform of the Senate voted in 2003: lowering of the eligibility age from 35 to 30 years and gradual reduction of the mandate from nine to six years.

He also wanted to open the Senate to civil society, in particular by promoting photographic exhibitions on the gates of the Luxembourg Gardens.

But the end of the Poncelet presidency was also punctuated by growing controversies over the lifestyle of the upper house of Parliament.

Shortly before leaving his post, he had to give up occupying a luxurious 200 m2 apartment made available to him for life by the Senate in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, not without denouncing a "demagogic, low and outrageous controversy".

Christian Poncelet remained a senator until 2014 before retiring definitively from politics the following year at the end of his mandate as general counsel and president of the Vosges department.

He lived there his last years, in a retirement home in Remiremont.

© 2020 AFP