Laurent Wauquiez

Laurent Wauquiez
Wauquiez in 2021
President of the Regional Council
of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
In office
4 January 2016  23 August 2024
Preceded by
Succeeded byFabrice Pannekoucke
President of The Republicans
In office
10 December 2017  2 June 2019
Preceded byNicolas Sarkozy
Succeeded byChristian Jacob
Minister of Higher Education and Research
In office
29 June 2011  10 May 2012
Prime MinisterFrançois Fillon
Preceded byValérie Pécresse
Succeeded byGeneviève Fioraso
Minister for European Affairs
In office
14 November 2010  29 June 2011
Prime MinisterFrançois Fillon
Preceded byPierre Lellouche
Succeeded byGeneviève Fioraso
Mayor of Le Puy-en-Velay
In office
14 March 2008  29 January 2016
Preceded byArlette Arnaud-Landau
Succeeded byMichel Chapuis
Spokesperson of the Government
In office
18 June 2007  18 March 2008
Prime MinisterFrançois Fillon
Preceded byChristine Albanel
Succeeded byLuc Chatel
Member of the National Assembly
for Haute-Loire's 1st constituency
Assumed office
8 July 2024
Preceded byIsabelle Valentin
In office
20 June 2012  21 June 2017
Preceded byJean-Pierre Marcon
Succeeded byIsabelle Valentin
In office
5 July 2004  19 July 2007
Preceded byJacques Barrot
Succeeded byJean-Pierre Marcon
President of the Republican Right group in the National Assembly
Assumed office
10 July 2024
Preceded byOlivier Marleix
Personal details
Born
Laurent Timothée Marie Wauquiez

(1975-04-12) 12 April 1975
Lyon, France
Political partyLR (2015–present)
Other political
affiliations
UMP (2004–2015)
Spouse
Charlotte Deregnaucourt
(m. 2001)
Children2
Alma materÉcole normale supérieure
Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Sciences Po
École nationale d'administration

Laurent Timothée Marie Wauquiez (French pronunciation: [lɔʁɑ̃ timɔte maʁi vokje]; born 12 April 1975) is a French politician who has presided over the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from 2016 to 2024. He is a member of The Republicans (LR), which he led from 2017 to 2019 following the resignation of Nicolas Sarkozy.

Wauquiez was Secretary of State for European Affairs under the Foreign Minister Alain Juppé; and previously Secretary of State for Employment under the Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment from March 2008 in François Fillon's government. He also was Government Spokesman from June 2007 to March 2008 as Minister of State under the Prime Minister. He was elected as 2nd Vice President of the ORU Fogar at the organisation's General Assembly held in Quito, Ecuador on 16 October 2016.

On 10 December 2017, Wauquiez was elected to the presidency of The Republicans with 74% of the vote. Pundits have described him as moving the party to the right. On 2 June 2019, a week after overseeing the worst result for the right in its history in the European election with 8% of the vote, Wauquiez resigned as party president.

After 2024 legislative election, Wauquiez became president of the LR group in the National Assembly.