Georges Frêche

Georges Frêche (; July 9, 1938 – October 24, 2010) was a French politician. He served as President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region from 2004 until his death: prior to that, he had been mayor of Montpellier for 27 years, and was also a former member (député) of the National Assembly. Frêche had been a member of the French Socialist Party until he was expelled on January 27, 2007.

A long-time political figure within French political circles, Frêche was an extremely controversial character, considered by some a great builder and visionary, while criticised by others and judged in court for his controversial remarks, which were sometimes interpreted as racist.

Life and career Frêche was born in Puylaurens, Tarn, in 1938. His father was a military officer, while his mother was a primary school headmistress. Frêche studied law in Paris, and was appointed professor of law at the University of Montpellier 1 in 1969, specializing in Roman law, before entering politics. Frêche maintained that he was not trying to be racist and was instead talking about whites being less successful at sports because they are not sufficiently "hungry".

Frêche continued to attract controversy after his expulsion from the Socialist Party, insulting former Socialist Prime Minister Laurent Fabius in the run-up to the 2010 regional elections, saying "I've got a problem voting for that guy from Haute-Normandie, he doesn't look too Catholic" (Fabius has Ashkenazi Jewish roots). The Socialist Party ran against Frêche's "independent left" list in the elections for Languedoc-Roussillon, with Frêche's successor as mayor of Montpellier, Hélène Mandroux as the head of list, but were roundly defeated, gaining only 7.74% in the first round, against Frêche's 34.28%. Frêche went on to easily win the three-way second round with 54.19%, against lists from the UMP (26.43%) and the FN (15.67%).

Controversial comments July 1, 2000: "This is the longest tunnel in the world. You enter it in France and you come out in Ouarzazate", a city in Morocco. Frêche was referring to the then-newly installed tramway line, of which one of the two terminus is in Montpellier's La Paillade, an area chiefly populated by citizens of Arab origin and Muslim religion. April, 2005: "I hope he does better than the other idiot", referring to the election of the new pope Benedict XVI, replacing pope John-Paul II, the "idiot" in his sentence. They were taking part in a demonstration in support of the French law on colonialism, which asked teachers and textbooks to "acknowledge and recognise... the positive role of the French presence abroad, especially in North Africa", in Palavas-les-Flots. Frêche received support from political opponents such as Jean-Pierre Grand during the media storm that occurred after his outburst about the French football team.

Electoral mandates National Assembly of France Member of the National Assembly of France for Hérault : 1973–1978 / 1981–1993 / 1997–2002. Elected in 1973, reelected in 1981, 1986, 1988, 1997.

Regional Council President of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon : 2004–2010 (Died in 2010). Reelected in 2010 Vice-president of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon : 1973–1986. Regional councillor of Languedoc-Roussillon : Since 1973. Elected in 1986, reelected in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010.

Municipal Council Mayor of Montpellier : 1977-2004 (Resignation). Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001. Municipal councillor of Montpellier : 1971–2010 (Died in 2010). Reelected in 1977, 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008.

Agglomeration community Council President of the Agglomeration community of Montpellier Agglomération : 1977–2010 (Died in 2010). Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008. Member of the Agglomeration community of Montpellier Agglomération : 1977–2010 (Died in 2010). Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008.