André Chandernagor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First President of the Court of Auditors | |
| In office 7 December 1983 – 19 September 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Jean Rosenwald |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Arpaillange |
| Minister delegate forMinistry for Europe and Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 22 May 1981 – 7 December 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre Bernard-Reymond |
| Succeeded by | Catherine Lalumière |
| President of theGeneral Council of Creuse | |
| In office 30 September 1973 – 7 December 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Pauly |
| Succeeded by | Michel Moreigne |
| Constituency | Canton of Bourganeuf |
| Mayor ofMortroux | |
| In office 3 May 1953 – 7 December 1983 | |
| Succeeded by | Thierry Chandernagor |
| President of theRegional Council of Limousin | |
| In office 5 January 1974 – 21 September 1981 | |
| Succeeded by | Louis Longequeue |
| Deputy of the National Assembly | |
| In office 9 December 1958 – 23 July 1981 | |
| Succeeded by | Nelly Commergnat |
| Constituency | Creuse's 2nd constituency |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-09-19)19 September 1921 Civray, France |
| Died | 18 November 2025(2025-11-18) (aged 104) Aubusson, France |
| Political party | Socialist Party (1971–1981) |
| Other political affiliations | SFIO (1958–1967) FGDS (1967–1970) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingFrançoise |
André Chandernagor (19 September 1921 – 18 November 2025) was a French politician who served as a deputy forCreuse from 1958 to 1981 and asMinister delegate for European Affairs from 1981 to 1983. He subsequently became the 31st First President of theCourt of Audit, serving from 1983 to 1990.
André Chandernagor was born inCivray on 19 September 1921,[1] into a family fromPoitou. His surname,Chandernagor, comes from an ancestor of Indian origin, Charles François Chandernagor, known as "Bengale," who was born between 1743 and 1748 inRéunion and died in 1821 in Civray.[2] He studied at theLycée Henri-IV and then at theÉcole nationale de la France d'Outre-mer, after a stay inIndochina.[3]
In 1945, he became Deputy Administrator of theOverseas France, and from 1949 to 1951,[4] he attended theÉcole nationale d'administration (ENA) in the same cohort asValéry Giscard d'Estaing.[5][6] Also holding a degree in law, he became amaître des requêtes at theConseil d'État in 1957, specializing in public law.[7] He joined theSFIO in 1944 and had his first political experience in 1946 as anattaché in the office ofMarius Moutet, theMinister of Overseas France.[8]
André Chandernagor entered active politics in 1953 when he was elected mayor ofMortroux. In 1955, he experienced a temporary setback in local politics when he was defeated by the incumbent Radical general councillor in thecantonal elections inBonnat. He eventually joined the General Council of Creuse in 1961, succeeding former senator Gaston Chazette in thecanton of Bourganeuf.[9]
During his tenure in Creuse, Chandernagor was a proponent of the development of what became theroute Centre-Europe Atlantique, alongside the mayor ofMâcon, Louis Escande.[10] In 1973, following the death of Paul Pauly, he was elected president of the General Council of Creuse.[11]
In 1974, he became president of theRegional Council of Limousin. He served as the representative of Creuse in theNational Assembly from 30 November 1958, to 23 July 1981.[12] From 1967 to 1968, he was vice-president of the National Assembly. To date, he holds the record for the longest representation of Creuse in the National Assembly, with 23 years of service. He served as president of theInter-Parliamentary Union from 1968 to 1973[13] and authored the book 'Un Parlement pour quoi faire?'.[14]
A close associate ofGuy Mollet (having been a member of his cabinet in 1956–1957) and a staunchanti-communist, Chandernagor long opposed theUnion of the Left, favoring an alliance with centrist parties.[15][16] He was a member of the SFIO's executive committee and later thePS. In 1970, he was temporarily suspended from the PS, and it was speculated that he intended to form a newdissidentsocial-democratic party.[17] After theÉpinay Congress in 1971, he aligned himself withPierre Mauroy. His political influence and experience led to his inclusion in the government in 1981 followingFrançois Mitterrand's election asPresident of the Republic.[18]
In December 1983, Chandernagor was appointed First President of the Court of Auditors.[19] He became the first honorary president in September 1990 and, on 24 May 2005, joined the Honorary Committee for thebicentenary of the Court of Auditors, chaired by then First PresidentPhilippe Séguin.[20]
In 2017, at the age of 96, he chaired the support committee forJean-Baptiste Moreau, theLa République En Marche candidate for thelegislative elections in Creuse.[21]
Chandernagor married Eliane Bernardet in 1944. The couple stayed together until her death in 2004. Together they had three children, writerFrançoise Chandernagor, Dominique Chandernagor, and Thierry Chandernagor, former president of theGeneral Council of Creuse.[22] He died on 18 November 2025, at the age of 104.[22]
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