Pierre Abelin (May 16, 1909 – May 23, 1977) was a French

Christian Democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

politician, parliamentarian and government minister. Abelin took part in the founding of the

Popular Republican Movement The Popular Republican Movement (french: Mouvement Républicain Populaire, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Sc ...

(MRP). An adherent of the notion of building a 'third force' in French politics, he retained a staunch anti-

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withd ...

stance.Kaiser, Wolfram, and Michael Gehler.
Christian Democracy in Europe Since 1945: Volume 2
'. London: Routledge, 2004. p. 91 He later became the general secretary of the Democratic Centre. Abelin was born and died in

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

. He represented the

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019. He served as Secretary of State to the Presiding Council November 1947-July 1948, and in September 1948, as Secretary of State for Finances September 1952 to January 1953 and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs March 1955 to January 1956. Abelin moved to

Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...

, where he was elected to the municipal council. He later became the mayor of Châtellerault. Abelin served as president of the High Council on Cooperation with Foreign Countries between 1956 and 1958. On June 17, 1957 he became the president of the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. He also held positions in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. After the split in the Democratic Centre following the 1969 presidential election, the group led by Abelin and

Jean Lecanuet Jean Adrien François Lecanuet (4 March 1920 – 22 February 1993) was a French centrist politician. Biography Lecanuet was born to a family of modest means in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and gravitated towards philosophy studies. He received his di ...

(who rejected any reconciliation with the Gaullists) moved to form an alliance with the Radical Party. Abelin became one of the leaders of the new alliance, the

Reforming Movement The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement réformateur, MR) was a French centrist political alliance created in 1971 by the Radical Party (PR) led by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, and the Christian-democratic Democratic Centre (CD) headed by Je ...

. He was Minister of Cooperation between May 27, 1974 to January 12, 1976. In his function as minister he initiated the process which would lead to the signing of the

Lomé Convention The Lomé Convention is a trade and aid agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, first signed in February 1975 in Lomé, Togo. History The first Lomé Convention (Lomé I) ...

in 1975. Pierre Abelin was the father of

Jean-Pierre Abelin Jean-Pierre Abelin (born 3 September 1950 in Poitiers, Vienne) is a French politician. Jean-Pierre Abelin is the son of Pierre Abelin.ARRONDISSEMENT DE CHATELLERAULT'' French National Assembly He was a member of the French National Assembly ...

, who (as of 2009) is the mayor of Châtellerault.
ARRONDISSEMENT DE CHATELLERAULT
''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abelin, Pierre 1909 births 1977 deaths People from Poitiers Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine Popular Republican Movement politicians Democratic Centre (France) politicians Government ministers of France Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945) Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 5th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Mayors of places in Nouvelle-Aquitaine People from Châtellerault