Édith Cresson
| Édith Cresson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 109th Prime Minister of France | |
|
In office 15 May 1991 – 2 April 1992 |
|
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Michel Rocard |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| European Commissioner for Research, Science and Technology | |
|
In office 23 January 1995 – 12 September 1999 |
|
| President |
Jacques Santer Manuel Marín (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Antonio Ruberti |
| Succeeded by | Philippe Busquin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 January 1934 Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jacques Cresson |
| Alma mater | HEC Paris |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Édith Cresson (French pronunciation: [edit kʁɛsɔ̃]; born Édith Campion, 27 January 1934) is a French politician. She was the first and so far only woman to have held the office of Prime Minister of France. Élisabeth Schemla in the biography, Édith Cresson, la femme piégée (1993) argues her failure and low approval ratings were largely due to the misogyny of the Socialist elites, the French political class, and the French media. Her political career later ended in scandal from corruption charges when she was the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Technology.
Cresson was appointed to the prime ministerial post by President François Mitterrand on 15 May 1991. She soon became strongly unpopular among the electorate and had to leave office after less than one year, following the Socialists' poor showing in 1992's regional elections. She spent the shortest time in office of any Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic so far. Her strong criticism of Japanese trade practices, going so far as to compare the Japanese to "yellow ants trying to take over the world", led some to consider her also to be a racist. She also said, discussing the sexual activities of Anglo-Saxon males, "Homosexuality seems strange to me. It's different and marginal. It exists more in the Anglo-Saxon tradition than the Latin one."
In social policy, Cresson's government enacted the Urban Framework Act of 1991, which sought to ensure a “right to the city” for all citizens. The Act required “local bodies to provide living and dwelling conditions which will foster social cohesion and enable conditions of segregation to be avoided.” The Cresson Government also placed considerable emphasis during its time in office on facilitating the international competitiveness of firms with under 500 employees. A law was passed in July 1991 which included several measures aimed at improving access of people with disabilities to housing, work places, and public buildings. In addition an Act of July 1991 on legal aid “gave the public (above all, foreigners who are lawfully domiciled in France) wider access to the courts.” In January 1992, housing allowances were extended to all low-income households in cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants. Under a law of the 10th of July 1991, access to legal information “was also included as part of the legal aid system.” A water law was passed in January 1992 “to ensure the protection of water quality and quantity and aquatic ecosystems,” and in February 1992 a law was passed to promote citizens’ consultation.
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