Laurence Rossignol
{{short description|French politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Laurence Rossignol
| image = LR-2012-Hémicycle.JPG
| caption = Laurence Rossignol in 2012
| office1 = Vice-President of the French Senate
| term_start1 = 6 October 2020
| term_end1 = 1 October 2023
| president1 = Gérard Larcher
| predecessor1 = David Assouline
| successor1 = Sylvie Robert
| office2 = Member of the French Senate
| term_start2 = 18 June 2017
| constituency2 = Oise {{small|(2017-2023)}}
Val-de-Marne {{small|(since 2023)}}
| parliamentarygroup2 = SOC
|predecessor2 = Jean-Pierre Bosino
| term_start3 = 1 October 2011
| term_end3 = 9 May 2014
| constituency3 = Oise
| parliamentarygroup3 = SOC
| predecessor3 = André Vantomme
| successor3 = Jean-Pierre Bosino
| office4 = Minister for Families, Children and Women's Rights
| term_start4 = 11 February 2016
| term_end4 = 10 May 2017
| president4 = François Hollande
| primeminister4 = Manuel Valls
Bernard Cazeneuve
| predecessor4 = Pascale Boistard {{small|(Women's rights}}
Marie-Josée Roig {{small|(indirectly Children)}}
| successor4 = Marlène Schiappa {{small|(Women's rights)}}
|office5 = Secretary of State for Family, the Elderly, Autonomy and Children
|term_start5 = 9 April 2014
|term_end5 = 11 February 2016
|president5 = François Hollande
|primeminister5 = Manuel Valls
|predecessor5 = Dominique Bertinotti
|successor5 = Pascale Boistard
|office6 = Vice-president of the Regional Council of Picardie
|term_start6 = 2 April 2004
|term_end6 = 9 May 2014
|president6 = Claude Gewerc
|predecessor6 =
|successor6 = Sylvie Houssin
|office7 = Member of Regional Council of Picardie
|term_start7 = 21 March 1998
|term_end7 = 31 December 2015
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|12|22|df=yes}}
| birth_place = La Garenne-Colombes, France
| party = Socialist Party
| alma_mater = University of Burgundy
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University
|}}
Laurence Rossignol ({{IPA|fr|lɔʁɑ̃s ʁɔsiɲɔl}}; born 22 December 1957) is a French politician of the Socialist Party (PS) who has served as a member of the French Senate from 2011 to 2014 and again since 2017, representing Oise.{{cite web|title=ROSSIGNOL Laurence|url=https://www.senat.fr/senateur/rossignol_laurence11045k.html|website=Senate|access-date=May 2, 2017}} From 2014 to 2017, she served as Secretary of State for the Family, Senior Citizens and Autonomy in the governments of Prime Ministers Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve.{{cite web|title=Décret du 9 avril 2014 relatif à la composition du Gouvernement|url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028839315|publisher=legifrance.gouv.fr|access-date=3 May 2017|language=fr}}
Political career
Ahead of the Socialist Party's 2008 convention in Reims, Rossignol publicly endorsed Martine Aubry as candidate to succeed François Hollande at the party's leadership.[https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20080604.OBS7108/des-femmes-du-ps-lancent-un-appel-en-faveur-de-martine-aubry.html Des femmes du PS lancent un appel en faveur de Martine Aubry] L'Obs, 4 June 2008. When Aubry took over as party leader, she became the Socialist Party's spokesperson for environmental policy.[https://www.leparisien.fr/oise-60/l-incontournable-laurence-rossignol-28-12-2008-355616.php L'incontournable Laurence Rossignol] Le Parisien, 28 December 2008. In the party's 2011 primaries, she supported Aubry as its candidate for the 2012 presidential election.
From 2014 to 2017, Rossignol served as State Secretary under the leadership of Minister of Health Marisol Touraine. During her time in office, she established the Agency for the Recovery of Unpaid Alimonies (ARIPA) to ensure the recovery of outstanding child support.Stéphane Kovacs (20 January 2017), [https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2017/01/20/01016-20170120ARTFIG00330-une-agence-contre-les-pensions-alimentaires-impayees.php Une agence contre les pensions alimentaires impayées] Le Figaro.
=Member of the Senate, 2017–present=
In the Socialist Party's presidential primaries, Rossignol endorsed Manuel Valls as the party's candidate for the 2017 French presidential election.Mathilde Siraud (12 December 2016), [https://www.lefigaro.fr/elections/presidentielles/primaires-gauche/2016/12/12/35005-20161212ARTFIG00274-najat-vallaud-belkacem-rallie-manuel-valls.php Najat Vallaud-Belkacem rallie Manuel Valls] Le Figaro. At the Aubervilliers Congress in 2017, she also supported Luc Carvounas’ candidacy to lead the PS.Tristan Quinault-Maupoil (11 March 2017), [https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2018/03/11/01002-20180311ARTFIG00170-ps-laurence-rossignol-rallie-luc-carvounas.php PS : Laurence Rossignol rallie Luc Carvounas] Le Figaro.
In 2017, Rossignol was a candidate for the leadership of the Socialist group in the Senate, against Martial Bourquin and incumbent Didier Guillaume; Guillaume was eventually re-elected.Charles Sapin (3 November 2017), [https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2017/11/03/01002-20171103ARTFIG00334-la-guerre-couve-chez-les-senateurs-socialistes.php La guerre couve chez les sénateurs socialistes] Le Figaro. When Guillaume eventually retired in 2008, Rossignol lost out against Patrick Kanner in an internal vote, with 47 against 25 votes.{{cite news|author=Tristan Quinault-Maupoil|title=Patrick Kanner élu président du groupe PS au Sénat|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/le-scan/2018/01/23/25001-20180123ARTFIG00145-patrick-kanner-elu-president-du-groupe-ps-au-senat.php|newspaper=Le Figaro|date=23 January 2018|language=French|accessdate=23 January 2018}}
Ahead of the 2022 presidential election, Rossignol endorsed Arnaud Montebourg as the party’s candidate to replace incumbent President Emmanuel Macron.Pierre Lepelletier (5 November 2021), [https://www.lefigaro.fr/elections/presidentielles/le-ps-epargne-pour-l-instant-ses-senateurs-pro-montebourg-20211105 Le PS épargne pour l’instant ses sénateurs pro-Montebourg] Le Figaro.
Political positions
In 2015, Rossignol defended the government's policy of testing the bones of foreign minors to determine their age.{{cite news|last1=Baumard|first1=Maryline|title=Immigration : les députés maintiennent les tests osseux|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2015/05/13/immigration-les-deputes-maintiennent-les-tests-osseux_4632905_3224.html|access-date=3 May 2017|work=Le Monde|date=13 May 2015|language=fr}}
In 2016, Rossignol caused controversy when she compared Islamic women who chose to wear veils to "negroes who were for slavery".{{cite news|title=Laurence Rossignol compare les femmes choisissant de porter le voile aux 'nègres qui étaient pour l'esclavage'|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2016/03/30/laurence-rossignol-compare-les-femmes-choisissant-de-porter-le-voile-aux-negres-qui-etaient-pour-l-esclavage_4892380_823448.html#b0YwqLQPZ73RQdzy.99|access-date=3 May 2017|work=Le Monde.fr|date=30 March 2016|language=fr}} She was later reported to have apologized for the use of the word negro but stood by her comparison of veil wearing to slavery.Andrew Callus (31 March 2016), [https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-france-muslims-slavery-idUKKCN0WX1FK French minister under fire for linking veil-wearing to slavery] Reuters.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Laurence Rossignol}}
{{Senators of France}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossignol, Laurence}}
Category:People from La Garenne-Colombes
Category:Politicians from Île-de-France
Category:Socialist Party (France) politicians
Category:University of Burgundy alumni
Category:Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University alumni
Category:French senators of the Fifth Republic
Category:Government ministers of France
Category:Women members of the Senate (France)
Category:21st-century French women politicians