Claude Malhuret
{{Short description|French politician (born 1950)}}
{{Expand French|topic=bio|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Claude Malhuret
| image = Claude Malhuret, président du groupe Les Indépendants - Sénat (cropped).jpg
| office = Member of the Senate
| term_start = 1 October 2014
|constituency = Allier
|parliamentarygroup = UMP {{small|(2014–2015)}}
LR {{small|(2015–2017)}}
LIRT {{small|(2017–present)}}
|predecessor = Mireille Schurch
| term_start2 = 20 March 1989
| term_end2 = 6 October 2017
| predecessor2 = {{ill|Jacques Lacarin|arz|چاك لاكارين|fr||vo}}
| successor2 = Frédéric Aguilera
|office3 = Member of the Regional Council of Auvergne
|term_start3 = 29 March 2004
|term_end3 = 1 October 2014
|constituency3 = Allier
|president3 = Pierre-Noël Bonté
René Souchon
|office4 = Member of the National Assembly
|term_start4 = 2 April 1993
|term_end4 = 21 April 1997
|parliamentarygroup4 = UDFC
|predecessor4 = {{ill|Jean-Michel Belorgey|arz|چين ميتشيل بيلورجى|fr||tr}}
|successor4 = Gérard Charasse
|constituency4 = Allier's 4th
|office5 = Member of the European Parliament
|term_start5 = 25 July 1989
|term_end5 = 16 April 1993
|constituency5 = France
|parliamentarygroup5 = ELD
|office6 = Secretary of State for Human Rights
|term_start6 = 20 March 1986
|term_end6 = 10 May 1988
|president6 =
|primeminister6 = Jacques Chirac
|predecessor6 = Office established
|successor6 = Lucette Michaux-Chevry {{small|(1993)}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|03|08|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Strasbourg, France
| nationality = French
| otherparty = Republican Party
(until 1997)
Liberal Democracy
(1997–2002)
Union for a Popular Movement
(2002–2015)
The Republicans
(2015–2017)
Agir
(2017–2022)
| party = Horizons
(2021–present)
| alma_mater = Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Paris Descartes University
| profession = Physician, lawyer, politician
}}
Claude Malhuret ({{IPA|fr|klod malyʁɛ}}; born 8 March 1950) is a French physician, lawyer and politician who has served as a member of the Senate since 2014, representing the department of Allier. A member of Horizons (HOR),Louis Mollier-Sabet (17 December 2021), [https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/claude-malhuret-je-ne-comprends-pas-le-retour-de-valerie-pecresse-dans-un-parti Claude Malhuret : « Je ne comprends pas le retour de Valérie Pécresse dans un parti droitisé »], Public Sénat (in French). he has presided over the centre-right The Independents – Republic and Territories (LIRT) parliamentary group in the Senate since 2017.
Previously, Malhuret was Secretary of State for Human Rights (1986–1988),{{cite web|first=Richard |last=Bernstein|date=1986-08-24|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/24/world/france-aims-to-enhance-human-rights-role.html|title= France aims to enhance human rights role|website=The New York Times}} Mayor of Vichy (1989–2017),{{cite web |url=http://www.ville-vichy.fr/claude-malhuret-maire-de-vichy.htm |title=Claude Malhuret, Maire de Vichy |publisher=Bienvenue à Vichy |access-date=27 February 2011 |lang=fr|website=ville-vichy.fr}} a member of the National Assembly (1993–1997) and of the European Parliament (1989–1993).
Early life and career
Malhuret was born in Strasbourg. After completing his doctorate in medicine at the University of Paris, he worked as a hospital intern. In 1973, Malhuret participated in some voluntary overseas work with Coopération Française, before being employed by the World Health Organization in India.
Malhuret also studied law at the University of Paris.
Malhuret was elected president of Médecins Sans Frontières in 1977. Malhuret's humanitarian aid was beginning to be noticed, and in 1978 he became the President of France's overseas relief agency.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
In 1980, Malhuret was one of the organizers of the "March for the Survival of Cambodia" in Thailand, with several media and artistic personalities, and read a speech written by Bernard-Henri Lévy.{{cite web|first=Jérôme|last= Cordelier|date=2020-05-21|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/le-train-d-enfer-du-senateur-claude-malhuret-21-05-2020-2376402_20.php|title= Le train d'enfer du sénateur Claude Malhuret|publisher=Le Point|website=lepoint.fr}}
Political career
=Career in government=
From 1986 to 1988, Malhuret served as Secretary of State for Human Rights in the government of Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, the first in this position.{{cite web |url=http://www.medcost.fr/html/contributions_cb/cb_050600.htm |title=Entretien avec Claude Malhuret Président de Doctissimo |date=30 May 2000 |publisher=Medcost |language=fr |access-date=27 February 2011}}
=Member of the European Parliament, 1989–1993=
From 1989 to 1993, Malhuret was a Member of the European Parliament. In parliament, he served on the Committee on Political Affairs (1989–1990) and the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (1992–1993). In addition to his committee assignments, he was part of the parliament's delegation for relations with Japan.{{cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1025/CLAUDE_MALHURET/history/3|website=europa.eu|title= Claude Malhuret|date=8 March 1950 |publisher= European Parliament}}
=Mayor of Vichy, 1989–2017=
Malhuret was elected mayor of Vichy and President of the Vichy Urban District in 1989. He initiated a massive programme to modernize and restore the glory of the town, alongside other economic partners. This included the construction of a vast pedestrian area, upgrading of various hotels and renovation of the spas and Opera House.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
Malhuret stepped down to vice-president of the Vichy Urban District in 2001, but remained the mayor of Vichy.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
=Member of the Senate, 2014–present=
Malhuret first became a member of the French Senate in the 2014 elections.{{cite web |url=http://www.senat.fr/senateur/malhuret_claude14251q.html |title=M. Claude Malhuret |publisher=Senate of France |language=fr}}
In 2016, Malhuret publicly endorsed Alain Juppé in The Republicans' primaries for the 2017 presidential election.
Following the election of Emmanuel Macron as president, Malhuret left the Republicans and became one of the founding members of the new Agir party.{{cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/11/30/97001-20171130FILWWW00228-claude-malhuret-quitte-les-republicains.php |title=Claude Malhuret quitte Les Républicains|publisher=Le Figaro|date=2017-11-30|website=lefigaro.fr}}
In 2021, when Agir began to move closer to Macron's Renaissance, he joined Horizons instead.
In 2023, Malhuret was the Senate's rapporteur on a proposal to ban video-sharing application TikTok.{{cite web|first=Laura|last= Kayali|date=2023-07-06|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/french-senators-want-a-wider-tiktok-ban/|title= French senators want a wider TikTok ban|publisher=Politico Europe|website=politico.eu}}
=2025 speech=
On 4 March 2025, Malhuret delivered an eight-minute speech to the French Senate about Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and NATO.{{cite news | last = | first = | title =Claude Malhuret speech | agency = | location = | pages = | language = | website =YouTube | date =6 March 2025 | quote = | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unSSHfIs3U0 | accessdate =7 March 2025}} Critical of the Trump administration,{{cite web| title ='The beginning of the seizure of democracy': French politician takes aim at President Trump | website =cnn.com|publisher=CNN| date =6 March 2025| url =https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/video/french-politician-criticizes-trumps-response-ukraine-digvid | accessdate =7 March 2025 }}{{cite web | last = Diaz-Maurin | first =François | title =For this French senator, Trump is a traitor—and Europe is now alone | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists| date =6 March 2025 |url =https://thebulletin.org/2025/03/for-this-french-senator-trump-is-a-traitor-and-europe-is-now-alone/ |website=thebulletin.org| accessdate =7 March 2025 }} the speech received significant attention in social media and mainstream media around the world.{{cite web|publisher=The Atlantic|website=theatlantic.com|first=Claude|last= Malhuret|title=Trump Is Nero While Washington Burns|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/claude-malheuret-speech/681947/|year=2025|location=Washington, D.C.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ce93a3f1-d537-4424-8e17-a6242e444db0|title=How Europe can take up America's mantle|first=Martin|last=Wolf|year=2025|authorlink=Martin Wolf|website=ft.com|location=London|publisher=Financial Times }} {{subscription required}}
=Other positions=
Malhuret served as a member of the Board of Directors of French nursing home chain Korian from 2003 to 2014.{{cite web|first=Alain |last=Auffray|date=2022-03-22|url=https://www.liberation.fr/portraits/claude-malhuret-bienseance-publique-20220322_OTEGBE36DZC43DEHNBEEBTFS4M/|title= Le portrait: Claude Malhuret, bienséance publique|publisher =Libération|website=liberation.fr}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Allier Senators}}
{{Senators of France}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malhuret, Claude}}
Category:20th-century French physicians
Category:Agir (France) politicians
Category:Deputies of the 10th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Category:French senators of the Fifth Republic
Category:Médecins Sans Frontières
Category:Paris Descartes University alumni
Category:Physicians from Strasbourg
Category:Politicians from Strasbourg
Category:The Republicans (France) politicians