Gene, Yves

Born into a poor family. After leaving school in his native Brest, in 1939 he was enrolled in a prestigious class ("hypokhâgne") in Rennes .

During World War II

After the defeat during the French campaign (1940) by a 17-year-old student of the Lyceum in Brest, he gets on a naval tugboat that delivered him to the island of Wessan . After moving to British Plymouth, he began studying at the prestigious Annerly School. Then he enters the ranks of " Fighting France ." Soon he was sent to Africa, as part of the first unit of Spagi (1st Spahis Regiment) participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein .

In 1944, he received the rank of lieutenant of the 1st platoon of the 4th squadron of the first division of Spali near Alencon in Normandy. At the end of 1944, he returned to duty and continued the struggle for the liberation of France as part of the 2nd armored division of General Leclerc in Alsace, with which he reached the German Berchtesgaden .

In 1946, he completed his education at the National School of Administration . In 1947, he became a civil controller in Morocco, then worked in the apparatus of the State Council .

Fifth Republic Period

In 1958-1959 he was a technical adviser and then director of the cabinet of the Minister of Justice Michel Debre . In the summer of 1958, he was part of a small informal group under the control of General de Gaulle , created to develop a new text of the Constitution. In January 1959, he was appointed deputy chief of staff of Prime Minister Debre. In July 1959, he was High Commissioner, and then Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire.

From 1961 to 1981, he was elected to the National Assembly from the Dordogne Department; Member of the General Council of the Dordogne Department (1970-1989), Mayor of Perigueux (1971-1997). At this post, he renovated the city (rebuilding neighborhoods, paving streets, etc.), organized the international festival Mimos Mimos (1983) and the international gourmet fair.

He was a member of the government of the country:

• 1967-1968 and 1968-1969 - Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of France. To complete the telephone program, it launches the “Phone for All” project,
• supports the development of communications satellites, which a few years later will lead to the implementation of the Arian space program. During the May 1968 student unrest, I follow the directive of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou on restoring order at local radio stations, threatening to stop broadcasting if they continue to be loyal to the actions of young people.
• May-July 1968 - Minister of Information of France,
• 1972-1974 - state adviser,
• 1973-1974 - Minister of Transport. In this position, he prepares a TGV first-line project and develops an Airbus development program, plans to create and proposes the name of the airport Paris-Charles de Gaulle , opened by Prime Minister Pierre Messmer on March 8, 1974, proposes a project of the Eurotunnel and initiates the implementation of test works that, however, were not continued,
• March-May 1974 - Minister of Industry, Trade and Crafts of France.

In 1974, as deputy secretary general of the Union of Democrats in support of the republic, he first supported the candidacy of Jacques Chaban-Delmas as a right-wing candidate for the presidency of France, and in the second round, Valerie Giscard d'Estaing . He was elected secretary general of the Union of Democrats in support of the republic, holding this post until December 1976, when he joined the ranks of the Association in Support of the Republic (ODA) led by Jacques Chirac . From 1977 to 1978, he was the political delegate of the ODA, then, from 1978, he was the political adviser and general treasurer of the party. With Marie-France Garroe, Pierre Giuille and Charles Pasqua, he was part of the so-called “Gang of Four”, a group of closest associates of Cancer Chirac. This group, in particular: recommended Chirac to publish the manifesto Appel de Cochin (1978), directed against the policies of President Giscard d'Estaing. He resigned from the post of adviser and treasurer of ODA in 1979.

In 1981, he founded the Defense Périclès Society for Defense Research, and became its president. In the 1981 presidential election, he initially supported Michel Debre. In the same year, he was defeated by the representative of the Socialist Party, Roland Dumas , in the elections to the National Assembly. In 1986, he returned to the National Assembly and took the post of Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Finance. However, in June 1988 he was again defeated by a representative of the Socialist Party.

In September 1989, he was elected senator from the Dordogne department. In 1992-1997 was deputy chairman of the Senate. In September 1990, he published a petition in which he opposed the reunification of Germany, and also opposed the Maastricht Treaty (1992).

In January 1997, he was appointed a member of the Constitutional Council of France . In 2000-2004 - its chairman.

Social and political activities

From 1999 to 2006, he was president of the Charles de Gaulle Institute and president of the eponymous foundation from 2001 to 2006. In this post, he was actively involved in perpetuating the memory of the marshal. From 2004 to 2007, he served as chairman of the Council of the Institute of the Arab World. Since 2004, he has been honorary president of the political movement of the New Century Club (Club Nouveau siècle), which has combined the various currents of the Gaullists within the framework of ODA.

In 2007-2011 - President of the Free France Foundation.

In April 2009, at the suggestion of President Nicolas Sarkozy, he was appointed chairman of the election control commission (the appointment was approved by the legislative committees of the National Assembly and the Senate).

In August 2014, the politician last appeared in public, presiding over the ceremonies of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the city of Perigueux.

Awards and titles

He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (2005), the Military Cross (1939-1945) , the medal of Resistance .

• Jacques Lagrange, Yves Guéna, face et profils, Périgueux, Pilote 24, 1994
• Guy Penaud, Yves Guéna, le parcours d'un gaulliste historique, Sud Ouest, 2012
• http://www.liberation.fr/france/2016/03/03/mort-d-yves-guena-figure-du-gaullisme-et-ancien-president-du-conseil-constitutionnel_1437153