{{Short description|French politician (born 1950)}} {{Expand French|topic=bio|date=September 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{infobox officeholder | name = Claude Malhuret | image = Claude Malhuret, président du groupe Les Indépendants - Sénat (cropped).jpg | caption = Malhuret in 2020 | office = Member of the [[Senate (France)|Senate]] | term_start = 1 October 2014 | constituency = [[Allier]] | parliamentary_group = [[Senate Republicans (France)|UMP]] {{small|(2014–2015)}}<br>[[Senate Republicans (France)|LR]] {{small|(2015–2017)}}<br>[[The Independents – Republic and Territories group|LIRT]] {{small|(2017–present)}} | predecessor = [[Mireille Schurch]] | office2 = [[Mayor (France)|Mayor]] of [[Vichy]] | term_start2 = 20 March 1989 | term_end2 = 6 October 2017 | predecessor2 = {{ill|Jacques Lacarin|arz|چاك لاكارين|fr||vo}} | successor2 = [[Frédéric Aguilera]] | office3 = Member of the [[Regional Council of Auvergne]] | term_start3 = 29 March 2004 | term_end3 = 1 October 2014 | constituency3 = [[Allier]] | president3 = [[Pierre-Noël Bonté]]<br>[[René Souchon]] | office4 = Member of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] | term_start4 = 2 April 1993 | term_end4 = 21 April 1997 | parliamentary_group4 = UDFC | predecessor4 = {{ill|Jean-Michel Belorgey|arz|چين ميتشيل بيلورجى|fr||tr}} | successor4 = [[Gérard Charasse]] | constituency4 = [[Allier's 4th constituency|Allier's 4th]] | office5 = [[Member of the European Parliament]] | term_start5 = 25 July 1989 | term_end5 = 16 April 1993 | constituency5 = [[France (European Parliament constituency)|France]] | parliamentary_group5 = [[European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group|ELD]] | office6 = Secretary of State for Human Rights | term_start6 = 20 March 1986 | term_end6 = 10 May 1988 | president6 = | prime_minister6 = [[Jacques Chirac]] | predecessor6 = ''Office established'' | successor6 = [[Lucette Michaux-Chevry]] {{small|(1993)}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|03|08|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Strasbourg]], France | other_party = [[Republican Party (France)|Republican Party]]<br>(until 1997)<br>[[Liberal Democracy (France)|Liberal Democracy]]<br>(1997–2002)<br>[[Union for a Popular Movement]]<br>(2002–2015)<br>[[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]<br>(2015–2017)<br>[[Agir (France)|Agir]]<br>(2017–2022) | party = [[Horizons (political party)|Horizons]]<br>(2021–present) | alma_mater = [[Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University]]<br>[[Paris Descartes University]] | profession = [[Physician]], [[lawyer]], [[politician]] }}
'''Claude Malhuret''' ({{IPA|fr|klod malyʁɛ}}; born 8 March 1950) is a French physician, lawyer and politician who has served as a member of the [[Senate (France)|Senate]] since [[2014 French Senate election|2014]], representing the [[Departments of France|department]] of [[Allier]]. A member of [[Horizons (political party)|Horizons]] (HOR),<ref>Louis Mollier-Sabet (17 December 2021), [https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/claude-malhuret-je-ne-comprends-pas-le-retour-de-valerie-pecresse-dans-un-parti Claude Malhuret : « Je ne comprends pas le retour de Valérie Pécresse dans un parti droitisé »], [[Public Sénat]] (in French).</ref> he has presided over the [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]] [[The Independents – Republic and Territories group|The Independents – Republic and Territories]] (LIRT) parliamentary group in the Senate since 2017.
Previously, Malhuret was Secretary of State for Human Rights (1986–1988),<ref name=nytimes>{{cite web|first=Richard |last=Bernstein|date=1986-08-24|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/24/world/france-aims-to-enhance-human-rights-role.html|title= France aims to enhance human rights role|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[Mayor (France)|Mayor]] of [[Vichy]] (1989–2017),<ref name=vichy>{{cite web |url=http://www.ville-vichy.fr/claude-malhuret-maire-de-vichy.htm |title=Claude Malhuret, Maire de Vichy |publisher=Bienvenue à Vichy |access-date=27 February 2011 |lang=fr|website=ville-vichy.fr}}</ref> a member of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] (1993–1997) and of the [[European Parliament]] (1989–1993).
==Early life and career== Malhuret was born in [[Strasbourg]]. After completing his [[doctorate]] in [[medicine]] at the [[University of Paris]], he worked as a [[Internship (medicine)|hospital intern]]. In 1973, Malhuret participated in some voluntary overseas work with Coopération Française, before being employed by the [[World Health Organization]] in India.<ref name=vichy/>
Malhuret also studied [[law]] at the University of Paris.
Malhuret was elected president of [[Médecins Sans Frontières]] in 1977. Malhuret's humanitarian aid was beginning to be noticed, and in 1978 he became the President of [[France]]'s overseas relief agency.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
In 1980, Malhuret was one of the organizers of the "March for the [[Cambodian genocide|Survival of Cambodia]]" in Thailand, with several media and artistic personalities, and read a speech written by [[Bernard-Henri Lévy]].<ref name=lepoint>{{cite web|first=Jérôme|last= Cordelier|date=2020-05-21|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/le-train-d-enfer-du-senateur-claude-malhuret-21-05-2020-2376402_20.php|title= Le train d'enfer du sénateur Claude Malhuret|publisher=[[Le Point]]|website=lepoint.fr}}</ref>
==Political career==
===Career in government=== From 1986 to 1988, Malhuret served as Secretary of State for Human Rights in the government of [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Jacques Chirac]], the first in this position.<ref name=nytimes /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medcost.fr/html/contributions_cb/cb_050600.htm |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904005421/https://www.medcost.fr/html/contributions_cb/cb_050600.htm |archive-date=2012-09-04 |title=Entretien avec Claude Malhuret Président de Doctissimo |trans-title=Interview with Claude Malhuret, President of Doctissimo |date=30 May 2000 |publisher=Medcost |language=fr |access-date=28 January 2026}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
===Member of the European Parliament, 1989–1993=== From 1989 to 1993, Malhuret was a [[Member of the European Parliament]]. In parliament, he served on the Committee on Political Affairs (1989–1990) and the [[European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education|Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media]] (1992–1993). In addition to his committee assignments, he was part of the parliament's delegation for relations with Japan.<ref name=europa>{{cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1025/CLAUDE_MALHURET/history/3|website=europa.eu|title= Claude Malhuret|date=8 March 1950 |publisher= [[European Parliament]]}}</ref>
===Mayor of Vichy, 1989–2017=== Malhuret was elected mayor of [[Vichy]] and President of the Vichy Urban District in 1989. He initiated a massive programme to [[modernize]] and restore the glory of the town, alongside other economic partners. This included the construction of a vast pedestrian area, upgrading of various hotels and renovation of the spas and Opera House.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
Malhuret stepped down to vice-president of the Vichy Urban District in 2001, but remained the mayor of Vichy.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
===Member of the Senate, 2014–present=== Malhuret first became a member of the French Senate in the [[2014 French Senate election|2014 elections]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senat.fr/senateur/malhuret_claude14251q.html |title=M. Claude Malhuret |publisher=Senate of France |language=fr}}</ref>
In 2016, Malhuret publicly endorsed [[Alain Juppé]] in [[2016 The Republicans (France) presidential primary|The Republicans' primaries]] for the [[2017 French presidential election|2017 presidential election]].<ref name="lefigaro_fr" />
Following the [[2017 French presidential election|election]] of [[Emmanuel Macron]] as president, Malhuret left the [[The Republicans (France)|Republicans]] and became one of the founding members of the new [[Agir (France)|Agir]] party.<ref name="lefigaro_fr">{{cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/11/30/97001-20171130FILWWW00228-claude-malhuret-quitte-les-republicains.php |title=Claude Malhuret quitte Les Républicains|publisher=[[Le Figaro]]|date=2017-11-30|website=lefigaro.fr}}</ref>
In 2021, when Agir began to move closer to Macron's [[Renaissance (French political party)|Renaissance]], he joined [[Horizons (political party)|Horizons]] instead.
In 2023, Malhuret was the Senate's [[rapporteur]] on a proposal to ban video-sharing application [[TikTok]].<ref name=politico>{{cite web|first=Laura|last= Kayali|date=2023-07-06|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/french-senators-want-a-wider-tiktok-ban/|title= French senators want a wider TikTok ban|publisher=[[Politico Europe]]|website=politico.eu}}</ref>
===2025 speech===
On 4 March 2025, Malhuret delivered an eight-minute speech to the French Senate about [[Donald Trump]], [[Elon Musk]], and [[NATO]].<ref name=speechyt>{{cite news | last = | first = | title =Claude Malhuret speech | agency = | location = | pages = | language = | website =[[YouTube]] | date =6 March 2025 | quote = | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unSSHfIs3U0 | access-date =7 March 2025}}</ref> Critical of the Trump administration,<ref name=speechcnn>{{cite web| title ='The beginning of the seizure of democracy': French politician takes aim at President Trump | website =cnn.com|publisher=[[CNN]]| date =6 March 2025| url =https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/video/french-politician-criticizes-trumps-response-ukraine-digvid | access-date =7 March 2025 }}</ref><ref name=bull>{{cite web | last = Diaz-Maurin | first =François | title =For this French senator, Trump is a traitor—and Europe is now alone | location = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]| date =6 March 2025 |url =https://thebulletin.org/2025/03/for-this-french-senator-trump-is-a-traitor-and-europe-is-now-alone/ |website=thebulletin.org| accessdate =7 March 2025 }}</ref> the speech received significant attention in social media and mainstream media around the world.<ref name=speechyt/><ref name=bull/><ref name=theatlantic>{{cite web |publisher=[[The Atlantic]] |website=theatlantic.com |first=Claude |last=Malhuret |title=Trump Is Nero While Washington Burns |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/claude-malheuret-speech/681947/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250309073737/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/claude-malheuret-speech/681947/ |archive-date=2025-03-09 |access-date=2026-01-28 |location=Washington, D.C.}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=ft>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ce93a3f1-d537-4424-8e17-a6242e444db0|title=How Europe can take up America's mantle|first=Martin|last=Wolf|year=2025|authorlink=Martin Wolf|website=ft.com|location=London|publisher=[[Financial Times]] }} {{subscription required}}</ref>
===Other positions=== Malhuret served as a member of the [[Board of Directors]] of French nursing home chain [[Korian]] from 2003 to 2014.<ref name=lib>{{cite web|first=Alain |last=Auffray|date=2022-03-22|url=https://www.liberation.fr/portraits/claude-malhuret-bienseance-publique-20220322_OTEGBE36DZC43DEHNBEEBTFS4M/|title= Le portrait: Claude Malhuret, bienséance publique|publisher =[[Libération]]|website=liberation.fr}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Allier Senators}} {{Senators of France}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malhuret, Claude}} [[Category:1950 births]] [[Category:20th-century French medical doctors]] [[Category:Agir (France) politicians]] [[Category:Deputies of the 10th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic]] [[Category:French senators of the Fifth Republic]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Médecins Sans Frontières]] [[Category:Paris Descartes University alumni]] [[Category:Medical doctors from Strasbourg]] [[Category:Politicians from Strasbourg]] [[Category:The Republicans (France) politicians]] [[Category:Senators of Allier]] [[Category:Union for a Popular Movement politicians]] [[Category:Union for French Democracy politicians]]