Paul Anselin

Paul Anselin
Paul Anselin
Member of the Regional Council of Brittany
	In office; 16 March 1986 – 21 March 2010
General Councillor of the Canton of Ploërmel
	In office; 25 March 1979 – 25 March 2001
Preceded by	Jules Bouchaud
Succeeded by	Pierre Kerloc'h
Mayor of Ploërmel
	In office; 19 March 1977 – 21 March 2008
Preceded by	Jules Bouchaud
Succeeded by	Béatrice Le Marre
Personal details
Born	28 August 1931; Arcachon, France
Died	8 March 2023 (aged 91); Ploërmel, France
Political party	CNIP ; UDF ; UMP
Occupation	Military officer

Paul Anselin (28 August 1931 – 8 March 2023) was a French military officer and politician who served as mayor of Ploërmel from 1977 to 2008.^[1]

Biography

Born in Arcachon on 28 August 1931, Anselin fought in the Algerian War as a paratrooper, where he met Jacques Chirac. As a law student, he joined the Corpo Assas.^[2] He was initially supportive of Charles de Gaulle, but broke off his support after the fate of the Harkis.^[3]

Anselin was elected mayor of Ploërmel in 1977 and was consistently re-elected until 2008, when he was defeated by Béatrice Le Marre of the Socialist Party. He represented the Canton of Ploërmel in the General Council of Morbihan. He also served in the Regional Council of Brittany from 1986 to 2010 and was president of the Ploërmel Communauté [fr] and chairman of the board of directors of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service [fr].

Controversies

Anselin was heavily authoritative over his municipal mandate; his adversaries went as far as to nickname him "Pol Pot".^[3] The commune of Ploërmel, with a population of 9000, was equipped with 63 surveillance cameras, for which he won a Big Brother Award in 2006.^[4] That year, Ploërmel experienced the second-highest increases in property taxes (+36.2%) and housing taxes (+12.1%) in Brittany.^[5]

In 2006, Anselin erected a Monument of Pope John Paul II [fr] more than seven meters high, offered by his friend, the Georgian sculptor, Zurab Tsereteli, for the Pope's contributions to the fall of communism.^[6] The French laws on secularism were used to denounce the monument, and it was eventually moved onto private land in 2018.^[7]

In 1999, Anselin ordered his driver to run a red light in Rennes, which caused a traffic collision.^[8] He was indicted in 2002 due to his connection to the Mitterrand–Pasqua affair and given a 15-month suspended prison sentence along with a fine of €30,000 in 2009.^[9]

Death

Paul Anselin died in Ploërmel on 8 March 2023, at the age of 91.^[10]

Book

Francisco Miranda, le héros sacrifié (2018)

References

^ "Paul Anselin, ancien maire de Ploërmel, est mort". Le Monde (in French). 9 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ Rosso, Romain (20 February 2007). "La Corpo : à droite toute!". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Le mystère de Ploërmel". Le Monde (in French). 9 December 2006. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ "Paul Anselin, maire de Ploërmel (Morbihan)". Big Brother Awards (in French).
^ Pillet, didier (24 September 2006). "Impôts locaux toujours plus hauts dans 8 villes sur 10". Ouest-France (in French). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ "Une statue de Jean Paul II crée un schisme". 20 minutes (in French). 17 November 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ "VIDÉO. Ploërmel : la statue du pape a bien été déplacée". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ "Cour de Cassation, Chambre criminelle, du 6 juin 2000, 99-85.937, Publié au bulletin". Légifrance (in French). 6 June 2000.
^ "Affaire Falcone : Paul Anselin, l'ancien maire de Ploërmel, condamné à quinze mois de prison avec sursis". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ Laurent, Raphaël (9 March 2023). "Paul Anselin, maire de Ploërmel de 1977 à 2008, est décédé à l'âge de 91 ans". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[1] "Paul Anselin, ancien maire de Ploërmel, est mort". Le Monde (in French). 9 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[2] Rosso, Romain (20 February 2007). "La Corpo : à droite toute!". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[Monde-3] "Le mystère de Ploërmel". Le Monde (in French). 9 December 2006. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[4] "Paul Anselin, maire de Ploërmel (Morbihan)". Big Brother Awards (in French).

[5] Pillet, didier (24 September 2006). "Impôts locaux toujours plus hauts dans 8 villes sur 10". Ouest-France (in French). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[6] "Une statue de Jean Paul II crée un schisme". 20 minutes (in French). 17 November 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[7] "VIDÉO. Ploërmel : la statue du pape a bien été déplacée". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[8] "Cour de Cassation, Chambre criminelle, du 6 juin 2000, 99-85.937, Publié au bulletin". Légifrance (in French). 6 June 2000.

[9] "Affaire Falcone : Paul Anselin, l'ancien maire de Ploërmel, condamné à quinze mois de prison avec sursis". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[10] Laurent, Raphaël (9 March 2023). "Paul Anselin, maire de Ploërmel de 1977 à 2008, est décédé à l'âge de 91 ans". Ouest-France (in French). Ploërmel. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]