View source for Robert Hue

{{Short description|French politician (born 1946)}}
{{Confuse|Robert Hues}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2011}}
{{Expand French|topic=gov|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

{{ infobox Politician
| name         = Robert Hue
| image        = Robert Hue 09796.jpg
| office       = Member of the [[Senate (France)|French Senate]]<br />for [[Val-d'Oise]]
| term_start   = 1 October 2004
| term_end     = 1 October 2017
| predecessor  = [[Marie-Claude Beaudeau]]
| office2      = Member of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]<br />for [[Val-d'Oise's 5th constituency]]
| term_start2  = 12 June 1997
| term_end2    = 19 June 2002
| predecessor2 = [[Georges Mothron]]
| successor2   = [[Georges Mothron]]
| office3      = National Secretary of the [[French Communist Party]]
| term_start3  = 29 January 1994
| term_end3    = 28 October 2001
| predecessor3 = [[Georges Marchais]]
| successor3   = [[Marie-George Buffet]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1946|10|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Cormeilles-en-Parisis]], France
| party        = [[French Communist Party|PCF]]
| spouse       = Marie-Édith
| children     = 2
| profession   = [[Orderly]]
}}

'''Robert Hue''' ({{IPA|fr|ʁɔbɛʁ y}}; born 19 October 1946) is a [[Politics of France|French politician]] who was National Secretary of the [[French Communist Party]] (PCF) from 1994 to 2001 and President of the PCF from 2001 to 2002. He served as a Deputy in the [[National Assembly of France]] from 1997 to 2002, and he has served in the [[Senate of France]] between 2004 and 2017.

Hue was a candidate in the [[1995 French presidential election|1995 presidential election]], in which he received 8.7% of the vote, and in the [[2002 French presidential election|2002 presidential election]], in which he won 3.37%.

He is married to Marie-Édith, and he is father of two (Charles and Cécilia).

==Early activities==
Hue was born in [[Cormeilles-en-Parisis]], [[Val-d'Oise]] in 1946. His family professed [[Communism|Communist]] beliefs, and Hue, as a child, sold issues of the Party newspaper, ''[[L'Humanité]]''. He studied at the technical school in [[Cormeilles-en-Parisis]], sang in a [[rock band]] called ''Les Rapaces'' under the alias ''Willy Barton'', and practiced [[judo]] (winning an intercollegiate medal and receiving a [[Black belt (martial arts)|black belt]] ''[[Dan rank|nidan]]'').

Age sixteen (1962), he entered the youth section of the PCF, and then the Party itself. After studying in [[Paris]] and becoming an [[orderly]], he was employed in a [[psychiatry|psychiatrical]] institution in [[Argenteuil]].

Close to [[Georges Marchais]], Hue climbed the steps in the Party hierarchy, being also elected mayor of [[Montigny-lès-Cormeilles]] in 1977. He was to be reelected for all possible terms, until 2001. In February 1981, he was brought briefly under the spotlight, by starting a campaign against a family of immigrants, whom he had accused of selling drugs (a "charge" that was based mainly on [[hearsay]]). This seemed strange to the public opinion in France, as Hue had been (and was to remain) a strict follower of the Party lines.

In 1987, Hue joined the Party's [[Central Committee]] and, in 1990, its [[Politburo]]. At that time, he presided the National association of Communist elects. In 1994, while still largely unknown, Hue was appointed successor by Georges Marchais.<ref>{{Cite news |journal=The Washington Post|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72221443.html?dids=72221443:72221443&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+30%2C+1994&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Communists+In+France+Pick+A+New+Leader |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105051906/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72221443.html?dids=72221443:72221443&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+30,+1994&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Communists+In+France+Pick+A+New+Leader |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2012 |title=Communists in France Pick A New Leader |date=30 January 1994}}</ref> Hue changed the office of Secretary General to "National Secretary" in an effort to refresh the party's image. He did become quite well known only a few hours later, when he uttered a famous [[lapsus|lapsus linguae]]: ''I'm not nobody's pawn''.

==Hue and Party reform==
After the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], faced with the rapid erosion of his party, Robert Hue started a series of political transformations: openness to other political movements, discarding of several doctrines, a double-headed Party executive (with Hue as president and [[Marie-George Buffet]] as national secretary), etc. He made his approach public through his book, ''Communisme : la mutation''.

Robert Hue's low percentage in 1995 is explained by the competition from [[Workers' Struggle]], but it was still more than [[André Lajoinie]]'s result in 1988. In 1997, he stood by the idea of ''Gauche Plurielle'' ("Pluralist Left") which brought the leftist politics back in power with [[Lionel Jospin]]; Hue became a deputy, and the government included a number of Communists.

However, the Party was falling out of favor with the public: from over 200,000 members in 1998, it dropped to 138,000 in 2001. The Party lost a good deal of allegiances during the 2001 municipal elections.

Hue created and assumed in 2001 the title of President of the Party. His successor as National secretary of the party was [[Marie-George Buffet]].

The poor result in 2002 made the far-right leader [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] cheer the death of Communist strength. In fact, the outcome was so bad that the Party did not have anything to show for the money it had invested in its campaign, and verged on financial collapse. Hue resigned the Presidency while the Party appealed to the generosity of its members. The Presidency was abolished, the National Secretary (Buffet) remaining as the Party's sole leader.

==Political career==

'''''European Parliament'''''

Member of [[European Parliament]] : 1999-2000 (Resignation). Elected in 1999.

'''''National Assembly of France'''''

Member of the [[National Assembly of France]] for [[Val d'Oise]] : 1997–2002. Elected in 1997.

'''''Senate of France'''''

Senator of [[Val-d'Oise]] : Since 2004. Elected in 2004.

'''''Regional Council'''''

Regional councillor of [[Île-de-France]] : 1986-1988 (Resignation) / 1992-1993 (Resignation). Reelected in 1992.

'''''General Council'''''

General councillor of [[Val-d'Oise]] : 1988-1998 (Resignation). Reelected in 1994.

'''''Municipal Council'''''

Mayor of [[Montigny-lès-Cormeilles]] : 1977-2009 (Resignation). Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008.

Municipal councillor of [[Montigny-lès-Cormeilles]] : 1977-2009 (Resignation). Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008.

'''Political functions'''

President of the [[French Communist Party]] : 2001–2002.

National Secretary of the [[French Communist Party]] : 1994–2001.

== Works ==
{{Commons}}
* ''Histoire d'un village du Parisis des origines à la Révolution'' (1981)
* ''Du village à la ville'' (1986)
* ''Montigny pendant la Révolution'' (1989)
* ''Communisme : la mutation'' (1995)
* ''Il faut qu'on se parle'' (1997)
* ''Communisme : un nouveau projet'' (1999)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box|
  title=National Secretary of the [[French Communist Party]]|
  before=[[Georges Marchais]]|
  after=[[Marie-George Buffet]]|
  years=1994–2001
}}
{{succession box|
  title=President of the [[French Communist Party]]|
  before=''none - position created'' |
  after=''none - position abolished''|
  years=2001–2002
}}
{{s-end}}

{{French Communist Party}}
{{Candidates in the 1995 French presidential election}}
{{Candidates in the 2002 French presidential election}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hue, Robert}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Cormeilles-en-Parisis]]
[[Category:French Communist Party politicians]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1995 French presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2002 French presidential election]]
[[Category:Politicians of the French Fifth Republic]]
[[Category:Senators of Val-d'Oise]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Île-de-France]]
[[Category:French political party founders]]