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Charles de Courson | |
|---|---|
 Charles de Courson in 2017 | |
| Member of theNational Assembly forMarne's5th constituency | |
| Assumed office 2 April 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Pierre Bouquet |
| Mayor ofVanault-les-Dames | |
| In office 15 January 1986 – 14 October 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Aymard de Courson |
| Succeeded by | Caroline Issenhuth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Amédée Simon du Buisson de Courson (1952-04-02)2 April 1952 (age 72) Paris,France |
| Political party | LC-NC (2007–present) |
| Other political affiliations | CDS (1986–1995) FD (1995–1998) UDF (1998–2007) UDI (2012–2017) |
| Relations | Léonel de Moustier (grandfather) Louis-Michel le Peletier (ancestor) Elénor-François-Elie (ancestor) |
| Alma mater | ESSEC Business School École nationale d'administration |
| Occupation | Magistrate •Politician |
Charles Amédée Simon du Buisson de Courson (French pronunciation:[ʃaʁlamedesimɔ̃dybɥisɔ̃dəkuʁsɔ̃]; born 2 April 1952) is a French politician who has represented the5th constituency of theMarne department in theNational Assembly since1993.[1] A member ofThe Centrists (LC), he sits with theLiberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group. He has beenrapporteur of the state budget in the National Assembly since 2024.[2]
Since2022, he has been the longest-servingdeputy in the National Assembly.[3] Prior to entering politics, he worked as a civil servant at theAuditors Court andFinance Ministry.
Charles Amédée Simon du Buisson de Courson was born on 2 April 1952, in the16th arrondissement of Paris.[4]
His father, Aymard de Courson, aPopular Republican Movement (MRP) politician, held the mayorship ofVanault-les-Dames from 1953 to 1985 and represented the canton ofHeiltz-le-Maurupt in theGeneral Council ofMarne from 1958 to 1985, when he died.[5]
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 1916Battle of the Somme. His paternal grandmother, Germaine Charlotte Lhuillier, was deported toBergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany amid World War II, where she died in 1945.
Through his mother, Charles de Courson is a grandson of politicianLéonel de Moustier, who was also deported to Germany, where he died atNeuengamme concentration camp in 1945. He is also a descendant of politicianLouis-Michel le Peletier and diplomatElénor-François-Elie.[6]
De Courson succeeded his father both as mayor and general councillor in 1986. In1993, he was elected to theNational Assembly in the5th constituency ofMarne.
Following his reelection in2022, he became the longest-servingdeputy in the National Assembly.[3] He sat successively with the (now former)Union for French Democracy (1993–2007),New Centre (2007–2012) andUnion of Democrats and Independents (2012–2018) groups, prior to joiningLiberties and Territories in 2018 (renamed Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories in 2022).
In 2023, heled a vote of no confidence against thegovernment of Prime MinisterÉlisabeth Borne overproposals to raise the state pension age by executive decree.[6]
In 2024, he ran in the first two rounds of voting forPresident of the National Assembly, before removing his name ahead of the final round; the position eventually went to incumbentYaël Braun-Pivet.[7]
De Courson opposed the 2013 legalisation ofsame-sex marriage in France, instead proposing acivil union pact.[8] He has advocated a reduction in the number ofcivil servants and a stricter state budget.[8][9]
Ahead of the2016 The Republicans presidential primary, he supportedAlain Juppé.[10] FollowingFrançois Fillon winning the primary, he joined his campaign team.[11]
De Courson opposed theSocialist-led 2013 pension reform, instead co-signing an amendment providing for a gradual increase in the legal retirement age to 65.[12][13] He supported the2022 presidential candidacy ofValérie Pécresse, whose programme included a postponement of the retirement age to 65.[14] However, in 2023, he opposed raising the legal retirement age to 64,[6] calling the government's method a "total misuse of procedure".[14]
He has denounced the "illusion of security at airports"; following the attempted bombing ofNorthwest Airlines Flight 253, he calledfull body scanners a new sort of "Maginot Line around our airports".[15]
In 2017, he proposed increasing the monthly compensation for deputies from €5,600 to €9,000 "to ensure them a decent living".[16] He later added: "I have been earning 3,500 euros net after tax for 30 years and working more than 100 hours a week."[3]
