Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Raffarin in 2013
Prime Minister of France
In office 6 May 2002 – 31 May 2005
President	Jacques Chirac
Preceded by	Lionel Jospin
Succeeded by	Dominique de Villepin
Member of the Senate
In office 18 September 2005 – 4 October 2017
Constituency	Vienne
In office 1 October 2004 – 1 November 2004
Constituency	Vienne
In office 21 September 1997 – 6 June 2002
Constituency	Vienne
In office 2 October 1995 – 31 October 1995
Constituency	Vienne
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Crafts
In office 18 May 1995 – 4 June 1997
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé
Preceded by	Alain Madelin
Succeeded by	Marylise Lebranchu
Member of the European Parliament
In office 25 July 1989 – 18 May 1995
Constituency	France
President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes
In office 19 December 1988 – 8 May 2002
Preceded by	Louis Fruchard
Succeeded by	Élisabeth Morin
Personal details
Born	(1948-08-03) 3 August 1948 (age 75) Poitiers, France
Political party	The Republicans (2015–present)
Other political affiliations	Liberal Democracy (before 2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2015)
Spouse	Anne-Marie Perrier ​ (m. 1980)​
Alma mater	University of Paris II ESCP Business School

Jean-Pierre Raffarin (French: [ʒɑ̃ pjɛʁ ʁa.fa.ʁɛ̃] ^ⓘ; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005.

He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin resigned, he said that his decision was not based on the outcome of the vote. Opinion polls following his resignation suggested that Raffarin was one of France's least popular Prime Ministers since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958. However, according to the book France: 1815–2003, written by Martin Evans and Emmanuel Godwin, Raffarin was "a remarkably popular Prime Minister" despite his ability "to state the obvious and to make empty statements".

He was also Vice President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014.