1. Olivier Besancenot was a candidate for the 2007 French presidential election, for the Ligue communiste revolutionnaire, the French section of the Fourth International.
16 Facts About Olivier Besancenot
1. 2.
In May 2011, Olivier Besancenot announced that he would not be standing in the 2012 presidential election.
3.
Olivier Besancenot was succeeded as main spokesperson of the NPA by Myriam Martin, who later left the NPA to found Gauche Anticapitaliste, and Christine Poupin, joined by Philippe Poutou, who was the NPA presidential candidate in 2012.
4.
Olivier Besancenot was born on 18 April 1974 in Levallois-Perret in the Hauts-de-Seine region.
5.
Olivier Besancenot's father was a teacher, and his mother a psychologist at a school.
6.
Olivier Besancenot studied history at University of Paris X, gaining a degree in contemporary history.
7.
Olivier Besancenot joined the Revolutionary Communist Youth in 1988 when he was fourteen.
8.
Olivier Besancenot took a break from his job at the postal services in 1999 and 2000 to serve as a parliamentary attache to Alain Krivine in the European Parliament.
9.
Olivier Besancenot gained national prominence when he stood for the 2002 French presidential election.
10.
Olivier Besancenot stood for political and electoral independence of the anti-capitalist left from the Socialist Party, and against its participation in a centre-left government.
11.
Olivier Besancenot was endorsed by British filmmaker Ken Loach, known for depictions of working-class struggles.
12.
Olivier Besancenot's campaign's closing rally, in Paris, was attended by 4,000, the largest meeting organised by the LCR or its predecessors since 1968.
13.
Olivier Besancenot is the first in votes and in dominant position among candidates to the left of the Socialist Party's candidate, Segolene Royal.
14.
Whilst plans were being put in place for the formation of this party, Olivier Besancenot was able to capitalise on the infighting occurring in the PS in the summer of 2008, as its members prepared to convene at La Rochelle for their annual party leadership contest.
15.
Olivier Besancenot's popularity continued to increase, as he remonstrated the PS for focusing its attention on him, and not the incumbent president, Sarkozy.
16.
Olivier Besancenot told French TV, a medium in which he found himself in greater demand, that, "It's up to the population to get there [force a revolution] one way or another"; he told a LCR conference that the left had been failing in its opposition.