Damien Alary

Damien Alary
Alary in 2009
Vice-President of the Regional Council of Occitania
In office
4 January 2016 – 2 July 2021
PresidentCarole Delga
Regional Councilor of Occitania
In office
13 December 2015 – 2 July 2021
PresidentCarole Delga
President of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon
In office
29 September 2014 – 31 December 2015
Preceded byChristian Bourquin
Succeeded byCarole Delga
Vice-president of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon
In office
28 March 2004 – 24 October 2010
PresidentGeorges Frêche
Chairman of the Departmental Council of Gard
In office
23 March 2001 – 29 September 2014
Preceded byAlain Journet
Succeeded byWilliam Dumas
Mayor of Pompignan
In office
3 February 1979 – 5 March 1999
Preceded byMarcel Valat
Succeeded byClaude Reynard
Personal details
Born(1951-01-17)17 January 1951
Pompignan, France
Died27 August 2025(2025-08-27) (aged 74)
Party
  • PS (1976–2010)
  • DVG (2010)
  • PS (2010–2025)

Damien Joseph Marius Alary (French pronunciation: [damjɛ̃ alaʁi]; 17 January 1951 – 27 August 2025) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party.

Alary was the president of the departmental council of Gard from 2001 to 2014, then briefly president of the regional council of Languedoc-Roussillon from 2014 to 2015.

Life and career

Political career

Alary joined the Socialist Party in 1977 after a meeting with Michel Rocard.[1][2]

In 1979, he was elected mayor of Pompignan;[3] in 1986, regional councilor of Languedoc-Roussillon,[4] and in 1988, general councilor of the canton of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort.[5]

He was elected in Gard's 5th constituency in 1997[6] and re-elected in 2002,[7] from the Socialist Group.

After having chaired the socialist group, under the presidency of Alain Journet, within the general council of Gard from 1998 to 2001, he was elected president in 2001.[5]

In 2004, he was elected first vice-president of the Regional Council. After the regional elections of 2004, he resigned because of multiple mandates.[8]

On 23 February 2010, he was excluded from the Socialist Party following his rallying to the list led by Georges Frêche against that of the PS.[9]

On 28 October 2010, after the death of Georges Frêche, the group of socialists excluded and related to the Regional Council elects its candidate for the presidency of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Alary lost against Christian Bourquin by 13 votes against 18 in secret ballots.[10] The following 10 November, Christian Bourquin was elected president of the regional council, and Robert Navarro replaced Damien Alary from the post of first vice-president he had held since 2004.[9] Alary then asked for his reinstatement in the PS, which he then obtained.[9]

Suffering from laryngeal cancer, which he revealed himself in 2011, Alary retained all of his elected functions and mandates. In January 2012, he affirmed “[to be] still good for the service” and “intact in [his] commitment”.[11]

After considering a candidacy for the 2014 municipal elections in Nîmes,[12] Alary announced his resignation on 10 September 2013.[13]

After the death of Christian Bourquin on 26 August 2014, Alary announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon.[14][15] He was elected by the regional council on 29 September.[10]

In September 2015, it took the position, with Jean-Claude Gayssot, for the implementation of a European policy for welcoming “Mediterranean refugees”.[16] On 7 October 2015, he succeeded Francina Armengol as the president of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion.[17][18]

During the 2015 regional election in Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées, head of the PS list in Gard, he announced that he was leading his "last political fight".[19][20]

Personal life and death

Coming from a family of Pompignan wine growers,[1] he owned a vineyard and olive grove.[21] He was married and had a son, Yannick, born in 1976, who became a notary in Alès. Alary died on 27 August 2025, at the age of 74.[22]

Distinctions

On 3 June 2010, Alary received the Legion of Honour from Simone Veil at the Luxembourg Palace.

References

  1. ^ a b "Damien Alary, défenseur du Languedoc-Roussillon". Les Echos (in French). 23 October 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ "LesBiographies.com". www.lesbiographies.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. ^ AFP. "Damien Alary élu à la présidence de la région Languedoc-Roussillon". Libération (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Damien Alary nouveau président de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Damien Alary est officiellement candidat à la présidence du Languedoc-Roussillon". France 3 Occitanie (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Résultats des élections législatives de 1997 dans la 5e circonscription du Gard - Politiquemania". www.politiquemania.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Résultats des élections législatives de 2002 dans la 5e circonscription du Gard - Politiquemania". www.politiquemania.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  8. ^ Gasquez, Antoine (29 September 2014). "Région LR : Damien Alary élu président à la majorité absolue". La Semaine du Roussillon (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLON - Damien ALARY nouveau Président de Région". herault-tribune.com (in French). Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Damien Alary élu nouveau Président de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon - News - Actualités". www.polemermediterranee.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Damien Alary, un homme en bonne santé pour la présidence de la région Languedoc-Roussillon". France Bleu (in French). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Gard : Damien Alary bientôt candidat aux municipales de Nîmes". midilibre.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  13. ^ "MUNICIPALES 2014. Damien Alary renonce à la mairie de Nîmes !". Objectif Gard (in French). 10 September 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. ^ "LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON Damien Alary est officiellement candidat pour la présidence de la région". Objectif Gard (in French). 3 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Damien Alary élu président du conseil régional du Languedoc-Roussillon". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  16. ^ Colmon, Mylene. "Damien Alary pour la mise en oeuvre d'une politique européenne d'accueil des réfugiés méditerranéens". archive.wikiwix.com (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  17. ^ "LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON Damien Alary est le nouveau président de l'Eurorégion Pyrénées-Méditerranée". Objectif Gard (in French). 7 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Damien Alary (encore) président". lindependant.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. ^ "RÉGIONALES Le PS-PRG du Gard derrière Alary pour son dernier combat". Objectif Gard (in French). 22 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  20. ^ "6 élus du Languedoc-Roussillon obtiennent une vice-présidence à la région". France 3 Occitanie (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Vie publique". LExpress.fr (in French). 3 April 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  22. ^ Il était l’homme de tous les combats politiques : Damien Alary, ancien président du conseil régional, s’est éteint à l’âge de 74 ans (in French)
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Alary