Alain Joissains is a French politician. He served as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

from 1978 to 1983.

Biography

Early life

His father was a policeman.Aix-en-provence : La surprise Joissains
, ''Le Point'', 22/01/2007 He started working as a

cabin boy ''Cabin Boy'' is a 1994 American fantasy comedy film, directed by Adam Resnick and co-produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Resnick. Both Elliott and Resnick worked for '' Late Night with Dav ...

at the age of fifteen and as a

stevedore A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

by the age of seventeen. He studied law at

Aix-Marseille University Aix-Marseille University (AMU; french: Aix-Marseille Université; formally incorporated as ''Université d'Aix-Marseille'') is a public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II o ...

and received a doctorate. He started working as a lawyer in Aix.

Political career

He became interested in politics upon his disappointment in General

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

(1890-1970)'s abandonment of the

harki ''Harki'' (adjective from the Arabic ''harka'', standard Arabic ''haraka'' حركة, "war party" or "movement", i.e., a group of volunteers, especially soldiers) is the generic term for native Muslim Algerian who served as auxiliaries in the F ...

s during the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

of 1954-1962. Instead, he supported

Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, often referred to as JJSS (13 February 19247 November 2006), was a French journalist and politician. He co-founded ''L'Express'' in 1953 with Françoise Giroud, and then went on to become president of the Radical ...

(1924-2006) and joined the Radical Party, a centre-right political party.Le contrat d'Alain Joissains annulé ?
''

La Provence ''La Provence'' is a French language daily newspaper published in Marseille, France. History and profile In 1997 ''La Provence'' was created in Marseille from the merger of two daily newspapers, '' Le Provençal'' of former Interior Minister Ga ...

'', 24/09/2013 He served as the

of Aix-en-Provence from 1978 to 1983.La dynastie Joissains intéresse les policiers
''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

'', December 26, 2013 During his tenure, he lowered the local tax by 2%, increased the number of pocket parks and car-parks, and encouraged low-income inhabitants to purchase the council flats they lived in. By January 1983, as he was set to be re-elected as mayor with a 66% majority, he was accused by the tabloid newspaper ''

Le Canard enchaîné (; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris. Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism a ...

'' of

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

in order to pay for the construction of his father-in-law's house in Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. He retorted that

Gaston Defferre Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician. He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986. He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956� ...

(1910-1986), who then served as Mayor of adjacent

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

and as Minister of Interior Affairs, had schemed this plot to squander his chances of reelection. However, he did receive a two-year suspended prison sentence for embezzlement. Subsequently, his father-in-law committed suicide and he got divorced. However, he still maintained he was innocent. In 1995, he published a memoir he co-wrote with his wife about his experience, entitled ''Sang et or: combat pour Aix-en-Provence'' (English: Blood and gold: the fight for Aix-en-Provence). From 2001 to 2008, he served as an assistant to the Mayor of Aix, then his former wife.Alain Joissains va-t-il devoir rembourser son trop gros salaire?
''La Provence'', 02/11/200 He stepped down after he was accused of being paid too much for his position due to possible cronyism. However, his wife suggested he was paid as much as former assistants to the Mayors of Aix. Even though he no longer gets paid, he still attends the meetings of the city council, when he sits behind his wife.

Personal life

He was married to

Maryse Joissains-Masini Maryse Joissains-Masini (born 15 August 1942), also known as Maryse Charton, was the mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 2001 to 2021. She was also a member of the National Assembly of France. in which she represented the Bouches-du-Rhône department, ...

, who has served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence since 2001. They have a daughter,

Sophie Joissains Sophie Joissains (born 25 October 1969) is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. She represents the Bouches-du-Rhône department and is a member of the Radical Party. Early life Sophie Joissains was born on 25 October 1969 ...

, who serves as a French

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Bibliography

*Alain Joissains, Maryse Joissains, ''Sang et or: combat pour Aix-en-Provence'' (Édition les Vents contraires, 1995, 164 pages).Google Books
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References