1. Jean Lassalle, who held the mayorship of the commune of Lourdios-Ichere from 1977 to 2017, sat on the General Council of Pyrenees-Atlantiques from 1982 to 2015, elected in the canton of Accous.
23 Facts About Jean Lassalle
1. 2.
Jean Lassalle was one of the general council's vice presidents from 1991 to 2001 under Francois Bayrou.
3.
Jean Lassalle was elected to the National Assembly in the 2002 legislative election, where he represents Pyrenees-Atlantiques's 4th constituency.
4.
Since 2002 Jean Lassalle has led the World Mountain People Association, an international network of mountain-dwellers active in more than 70 countries.
5.
On 3 June 2003 Jean Lassalle stood up in the National Assembly during questions to Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy and sang the Occitan anthem Se Canta in protest at an announcement by Sarkozy concerning the housing of 23 gendarmes tasked with guarding the Somport tunnel, which links France with Spain through the Pyrenees.
6.
In 2013, Jean Lassalle walked around France for eight months from April to December to meet people.
7.
Jean Lassalle was afterwards quoted, "Everywhere I went I witnessed a crisis in the standard of living, a loss of identity and the loss of a sense of a common destiny".
8.
Jean Lassalle found the situation equally bad in the cities and the countryside.
9.
Jean Lassalle undertook a 39-day hunger strike in March and April 2006, in protest at a threat to jobs in his constituency.
10.
Jean Lassalle had lost 21 kilograms of weight over the course of the strike.
11.
Jean Lassalle received support from the Association des maires ruraux de France.
12.
Jean Lassalle explored a candidacy for the 2019 European Parliament election, on a platform of Eurosceptism and "a Europe of nations and peoples", but ultimately did not stand in that election, citing financial difficulties.
13.
On 16 March 2021, Jean Lassalle stated his intention to run again for the presidency in the 2022 presidential election.
14.
Jean Lassalle openly criticised his treatment in mainstream media after he failed to be invited to a political evening show on TF1.
15.
Jean Lassalle ultimately received just over 3 percent of the vote, a significant improvement over his 2017 showing, with his strongest support coming from Corsica, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie.
16.
Jean Lassalle received more votes than Socialist Party candidate Anne Hidalgo.
17.
Jean Lassalle made no endorsement in the second round, saying he trusts the French people to do what is right.
18.
Jean Lassalle did not run in the 2022 French legislative election, instead endorsing his brother for the seat, which was ultimately won by Socialist Party candidate Inaki Echaniz.
19.
Jean Lassalle ran in the 2024 snap legislative election to reclaim his former seat but came third in both rounds of voting, losing to the incumbent, Inaki Echaniz.
20.
Jean Lassalle's son Thibault Lassalle is a rugby union player.
21.
Jean Lassalle was a member of the French U19 team taking part in the 2006 U19 World Championships in Dubai, in which France reached the semi-final.
22.
On 20 September 2020, Jean Lassalle accidentally parked his car on a level crossing that later obstructed a passenger train, which was reported on by multiple news outlets.
23.
Jean Lassalle later apologized for the incident, which caused a short train delay.