Charles de Courson

Early life and family

Charles Amédée Simon du Buisson de Courson was born on 2 April 1952, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

His father, Aymard de Courson, a Popular Republican Movement (MRP) politician, held the mayorship of Vanault-les-Dames from 1953 to 1985 and represented the canton of Heiltz-le-Maurupt in the General Council of Marne from 1958 to 1985, when he died.

Through his father, Charles de Courson is a grandson of Captain Félix Marie Robert du Buisson de Courson of the 308th Infantry Regiment, Mort pour la France at the 1916 Battle of the Somme. His paternal grandmother, Germaine Charlotte Lhuillier, was deported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany amid World War II, where she died in 1945.

Through his mother, Charles de Courson is a grandson of politician Léonel de Moustier, who was also deported to Germany, where he died at Neuengamme concentration camp in 1945. He is also a descendant of politician Louis-Michel le Peletier and diplomat Elénor-François-Elie.

Political career

De Courson succeeded his father both as mayor and general councillor in 1986. In 1993, he was elected to the National Assembly in the 5th constituency of Marne.

Following his reelection in 2022, he became the longest-serving deputy in the National Assembly. He sat successively with the (now former) Union for French Democracy (1993–2007), New Centre (2007–2012) and Union of Democrats and Independents (2012–2018) groups, prior to joining Liberties and Territories in 2018 (renamed Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories in 2022).

In 2023, he led a vote of no confidence against the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne over proposals to raise the state pension age by executive decree.

In 2024, he ran in the first two rounds of voting for President of the National Assembly, before removing his name ahead of the final round; the position eventually went to incumbent Yaël Braun-Pivet.

Political positions

De Courson opposed the 2013 legalisation of same-sex marriage in France, instead proposing a civil union pact. He has advocated a reduction in the number of civil servants and a stricter state budget.

Ahead of the 2016 The Republicans presidential primary, he supported Alain Juppé. Following François Fillon winning the primary, he joined his campaign team.

De Courson opposed the Socialist-led 2013 pension reform, instead co-signing an amendment providing for a gradual increase in the legal retirement age to 65. He supported the 2022 presidential candidacy of Valérie Pécresse, whose programme included a postponement of the retirement age to 65. However, in 2023, he opposed raising the legal retirement age to 64, calling the government's method a "total misuse of procedure".

He has denounced the "illusion of security at airports"; following the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, he called full body scanners a new sort of "Maginot Line around our airports".

In 2017, he proposed increasing the monthly compensation for deputies from €5,600 to €9,000 "to ensure them a decent living". He later added: "I have been earning 3,500 euros net after tax for 30 years and working more than 100 hours a week."

References

References

1. [http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/deputes/fiche/OMC_PA942 Biography on the National Assembly website] (in French).
2. [[Catherine Nay]]. (9 May 2023). "Catherine Nay raconte Charles de Courson, l'aristocrate révolutionnaire".
3. "Les maires de Vanault-les-Dames".
4. (19 April 2023). "Meet the aristocrat plotting Macron's downfall".
5. Victor Goury-Laffont (18 July 2024), [https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-france-shock-vote-coalition-centrist-thursday-president-elections-2024-nfp/ Macron wins shock vote to keep coalition hopes alive], ''[[Politico Europe]]''.
6. Aurélien Soucheyre. (4 February 2022). "Charles de Courson, l'aristocrate républicain".
7. Emilio Meslet. (6 June 2023). "Qu'est-ce que le groupe Liot, ces centristes opposés à Macron ?".
8. Ludovic Vigogne, [https://www.lopinion.fr/edition/politique/primaire-a-droite-liste-premiers-soutiens-parlementaires-101334 "Primaire à droite: la liste des premiers soutiens parlementaires"], ''lopinion.fr'' (in French). 20 April 2016.
9. [https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/grand-est/apparu-baroin-courson-equipe-campagne-francois-fillon-1156001.html "Apparu, Baroin et De Courson dans l'équipe de campagne de François Fillon"], ''France 3 Grand Est'' (in French). 15 December 2016.
10. (19 March 2023). "Retraites : quand De Courson voulait toucher à l'âge légal".
11. Poussielgue, Grégoire. (29 May 2023). "Charles de Courson : " Le gouvernement craint un vote sanction "".
12. Marchal, Raphaël. (20 March 2023). "CHARLES DE COURSON, FER DE LANCE DES OPPOSANTS À LA RÉFORME DES RETRAITES À L'ASSEMBLÉE".
13. Gaëlle Le Roux. (8 January 2010). "Les scanners corporels sont "inutiles et coûteux", dénonce Charles de Courson".
14. (10 March 2017). "Charles de Courson propose d'augmenter les parlementaires pour leur " assurer une vie décente "".
15. Pierre Maurer. (28 July 2022). "Charles de Courson, le député qui aurait pu coûter 1 milliard d’euros au gouvernement".