Prisca Thevenot

{{infobox Politician

| name = Prisca Thevenot

| image = Prisca Thevenot 2023 (cropped).jpg

| alt = Prisca Thevenot in 2023

| office = Minister Delegate for Democratic Renewal
Spokesperson of the Government

| term_start = 11 January 2024

| term_end = 16 July 2024

| primeminister = Gabriel Attal

| minister =

| predecessor = Olivier Véran

| successor = Maud Bregeon

| office1 = Member of the National Assembly
for Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency

| term_start1 = 8 July 2024

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = Virginie Lanlo

| successor1 =

| term_start2 = 22 June 2022

| term_end2 = 20 August 2023

| predecessor2 = Jacques Maire

| successor2 = Virginie Lanlo

| office3 = Secretary of State for Youth and the National Universal Service

| term_start3 = 20 July 2023

| term_end3 = 11 January 2024

| primeminister3 = Élisabeth Borne

| minister3 = Gabriel Attal

| predecessor3 = Sarah El Haïry

| successor3 = Sarah El Haïry (as Minister Delegate)

| office4 = Member of the Regional Council of Île-de-France

| president4 = Valérie Pécresse

| term_start4 = 2 July 2021

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|03|01|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Strasbourg, France

| party = Renaissance

| spouse =

| alma_mater = Emlyon Business School

| children = 2

| caption = Thevenot in 2023

| birth_name = Prisca Balasubramanem

}}

Prisca Thevenot (née Balasubramanem; born 1 March 1985) is a French politician of Renaissance, who served in the Borne government as secretary of state for youth and the National Universal Service between July 2023 and January 2024,{{Cite news |date=2023-07-20 |title=Remaniement : Prisca Thevenot nommée secrétaire d'Etat à la jeunesse et au service national universel |language=fr |newspaper=Le Monde|last=Guillou|first=Clément|location=Paris|issn=0395-2037|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2023/07/20/remaniement-prisca-thevenot-nommee-secretaire-d-etat-a-la-jeunesse-et-au-service-national-universel_6182804_823448.html}} then in the Attal government as Minister Delegate for Democratic Renewal and Spokesperson of the Government, between January and July 2024.{{cite news|title=Gouvernement Attal : Prisca Thevenot, une marcheuse de la première heure en porte-parole|language=fr|last=Alexandre|first=Lucie|date=11 January 2024|newspaper=Libération|location=Paris|issn=0335-1793|url=https://www.liberation.fr/politique/gouvernement-attal-prisca-thevenot-une-marcheuse-de-la-premiere-heure-en-porte-parole-20240111_VG7QVGN7BNCMPLHF73HT3SSNOU/}}

Thevenot previously served as spokesperson for Renaissance from November 2020. She was elected deputy for Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency in the 2022 legislative election.

Early life and education

Thevenot was born in Strasbourg to Mauritian parents who settled in France at the end of the 1970s to pursue university studies. In 1987, the family moved to the Paris region.

She completed a {{lang|fr|classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles}} at Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and continued her studies at the EM Lyon Business School, from which she graduated in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Législatives : vos nouveaux députés|publisher=Ville de Meudon|location=Meudon |url=https://www.meudon.fr/elections-legislatives-retour-aux-urnes/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |language=fr-FR}}

Political career

In the 2017 legislative election, Prisca Thevenot contested Seine-Saint-Denis's 4th constituency, but was defeated by incumbent communist member Marie-George Buffet.{{cite news|date=27 May 2017|title=Née de parents mauriciens, elle est candidate aux législatives françaises|language=fr|url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/308264/nee-parents-mauriciens-elle-est-candidate-aux-legislatives-francaises|newspaper=L’Express|location=Baie du Tombeau|issn=1022-4408}}

In November 2020, Thevenot was appointed spokeswoman for Emmanuel Macron’s party, La République en marche (LaREM), jointly with Maud Bregeon.{{Cite news|date=23 November 2020 |title=LREM désigne deux nouvelles porte-parole |last=Le Drollec|first=Alexandre|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20201123.OBS36497/info-obs-lrem-designe-deux-nouvelles-porte-parole.html |newspaper=L'Obs |location=Paris|issn=0029-4713|language=fr }}

In the June 2021 regional election, she was elected to the Regional Council of Île-de-France for Seine-Saint-Denis, on the list led by Laurent Saint-Martin.{{Cite web |title=Résultats des élections régionales 2021 |url=http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Les-resultats/Regionales/elecresult__regionales-2021 |access-date=2022-06-20 |publisher=Ministère de l’Intérieur|location=Paris|language=fr}}

In the 2022 legislative election, Thevenot ran in Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency for LaREM’s Together coalition. She won the most votes in the first round, and was elected deputy in the second round with 65,75% of the votes cast, against Annie Larroque Comoy (LFI - NUPES).{{Cite news |date=19 June 2022 |title=Les résultats du second tour des élections législatives dans la 8e circonscription des Hauts-de-Seine |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/resultats-elections/ile-de-france/hauts-de-seine/ |access-date=20 June 2022 |newspaper=Le Monde|location=Paris|issn=0395-2037|language=fr}}{{Cite web |title=Élections législatives 2022 |url=https://www.resultats-elections.interieur.gouv.fr/legislatives-2022/092/09208.html |access-date=2022-06-20 |publisher=Ministère de l’Intérieur|location=Paris|language=fr}} She became a member of the Social Affairs Committee in the National Assembly.{{Cite web |date=1 July 2022 |title=Composition de la commission des affaires sociales |url=https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/instances/fiche/OMC_PO420120 |publisher=National Assembly|location=Paris|language=fr|access-date=1 July 2022}}

In July 2023, Thevenot was appointed secretary of state for youth and the National Universal Service in the Borne government, a junior position jointly under the minister of the armed forces and the minister of national education and youth.

In the Attal government formed in January 2024, she became deputy minister for democratic renewal and spokeswoman of the Government.{{Citation |title=Décret du 11 janvier 2024 relatif à la composition du Gouvernement |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000048931984 |access-date=2024-03-15}}{{Cite web |title=Remaniement: Prisca Thevenot nommée porte-parole du gouvernement Attal |url=https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/gouvernement/remaniement-prisca-thevenot-nommee-porte-parole-du-gouvernement_AV-202401110638.html |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=BFMTV |language=fr}}

In April 2024, eight members of her team resigned. Six of them spoke to the newspaper Le Monde to complain of repeated moral harassment and humiliation.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-02 |title=Gouvernement : tensions sur le cas de Prisca Thevenot, après une série de démissions |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2024/05/02/demissions-en-serie-chez-prisca-thevenot_6231122_823448.html |access-date=2024-05-02 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=fr}}

On 3 July 2024, while Thevenot and a supporter were putting up campaign posters for the 2024 French legislative election in Meudon, they were attacked by man screaming “by the Koran, get everyone here!” who was soon joined by 20 others.{{cite news |title=Agression de Prisca Thevenot, législatives, mort de Naomi Musenga : les infos à retenir ce midi |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/agression-de-prisca-thevenot-legislatives-mort-de-naomi-musenga-les-infos-a-retenir-ce-midi-04-07-2024-IQF7T4MQ5ZHBRKY7U742HLYSFI.php |access-date=4 July 2024 |work=Le Parisien |date=4 July 2024 |language=fr |quote=un homme aurait arraché une affiche en criant : « Sur le Coran, appelle tout le monde », avant de revenir accompagné « d’une vingtaine d’individus »}}{{cite news |author1=Tadhg Nagel |title=Regierungssprecherin von Macrons Partei wenige Tage vor Frankreich-Wahl angegriffen |url=https://www.fr.de/politik/emmanuel-macron-sprecherin-frankreich-angriff-gewalt-politiker-rassemblement-national-renaissance-zr-93169364.html |access-date=3 May 2025 |work=Frankfurter Rundschau |date=4 July 2024 |language=de |quote=ein Mann ein Plakat abgerissen und gerufen „Auf den Koran, ruf alle an“. Schließlich sei er in Begleitung von „etwa zwanzig Personen“ zurückgekehrt; dann sei es zu Handgreiflichkeiten gekommen.}} The attack was premeditated.{{cite news |author1=William Molinié |title=«Sur le Coran, appelle tout le monde» : le récit de l'agression de Prisca Thevenot à Meudon |url=https://www.europe1.fr/faits-divers/info-europe-1-sur-le-coran-appelle-tout-le-monde-le-recit-de-lagression-de-prisca-thevenot-a-meudon-4256446 |access-date=4 July 2024 |work=Europe 1 |date=4 July 2024 |language=fr |quote=L’agression a très certainement été préméditée}} Several suspects were arrested.{{Cite web |title=France's government spokesperson is attacked on the campaign trail, days before decisive election |url=https://apnews.com/article/france-election-violence-attack-campaign-ce0f6283fb648565d587c2f38f82ac45 |access-date=4 July 2024 |website=Associated Press |date=4 July 2024 |language=en}} Thevenot’s deputy and a supporter were hospitalized, the latter with a broken jaw.{{cite news |author1=Juliette Vignaud |title=Ce que l'on sait de l'agression de la porte-parole du gouvernement, Prisca Thévenot, et de son équipe |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/ce-que-l-on-sait-de-l-agression-de-la-porte-parole-du-gouvernement-prisca-thevenot-et-son-equipe-04-07-2024-2564797_20.php#xtmc=prisca&xtnp=1&xtcr=3 |access-date=4 July 2024 |work=Le Point |date=4 July 2024 |language=fr |quote=Virginie Lanlo, par ailleurs élue de Meudon et députée depuis la nomination de Prisca Thévenot au gouvernement, souffre d'une plaie au bras. Le militant, lui, a eu une fracture de la mâchoire}}

Personal life

Thevenot is married and has two children.{{Cite web |title=Mme Prisca Thevenot|date=2 July 2021 |url=http://www.iledefrance.fr/thevenot-prisca |access-date=2022-06-20 |publisher=Région Île-de-France|location=Paris |language=fr}}{{Cite news |title=France : Prisca Thevenot, La Mauricienne de 37 Ans sera candidat pour les législatives |url=https://lematinal.media/france-prisca-thevenot-la-mauricienne-de-37-ans-sera-candidat-pour-les-legislatives/ |date=11 May 2022|access-date=2022-07-16 |website=Le Matinal |location=Quatre Bornes|language=fr}}