Christophe Béchu
Christophe Béchu is a French politician who has been serving as President of the General Council of the Maine-et-Loire department since 2004. He briefly served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 until 2011, representing the West France constituency. A former member of DL, he was a member of the leading centre-right Union for a Popular Movement, later The Republicans, until leaving the party in early December 2017.
He has represented the Canton of Angers-Nord-Ouest since 2001, and was re-elected there during the 2008 French cantonal elections. However, he was narrowly defeated by the incumbent PS mayor of Angers, Jean-Claude Antonini, in the 2008 municipal elections.
In 2009, the UMP selected him to lead the UMP list in the West constituency ahead of the 2009 European elections. He was elected to the European Parliament as a result. His list won 27.16% of the vote and three MEPs. He resigned in January 2011. He lost the regional election of 2010 to become President of Pays-de-la-Loire region, but was elected as a regional councillor. In September 2011, he was elected as a Senator of Maine-et-Loire, and thereafter resigned from regional council of Pays-de-Loire.
During the 2014 French municipal elections, he competed against Frédéric Béatse, incumbent, and became the new mayor of Angers on 4 April 2014. Béchu was re-elected in 2020.
