Matthias Fekl


Matthias Fekl is a French politician who was the Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He served as a member of the National Assembly from June 20, 2012 to April 10, 2014, representing Lot-et-Garonne.

Early life and education

Fekl was born on 4 October 1977 in Frankfurt, West Germany. His father is a German university professor and his mother is a French teacher. He grew up in West Berlin before moving to Paris, where he graduated from the Lycée Henri-IV. He later studied at various universities.

Political career

From 2010 to 2011, Fekl served as chief of staff to Jean-Pierre Bel, then president of the Socialist group in the Senate. When Bel became chairman of the Senate, Fekl was his special adviser.
Fekl was elected member of the National Assembly in the 2012 elections. During his time in parliament, he was a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs. In 2012, Interior Minister Manuel Valls mandated Fekl with a report on immigration which was later submitted to Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Minister of State for Foreign Trade

Fekl also served as the Trade Secretary in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development under the leadership of minister successive ministers Laurent Fabius and Jean-Marc Ayrault from September 4, 2014, succeeding Thomas Thévenoud.
During his time in office, France opened a trade office in Tehran in September 2015, leading the charge of European countries angling for a share of the Iranian market after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
In October 2016, Fekl launched his own political movement, «Mouvement pour la vie des idées et des alternatives». He also briefly belonged to the campaign team of Benoît Hamon for the 2017 presidential elections.

Minister of the Interior

Fekl was appointed as Minister of the Interior on 21 March 2017, succeeding Bruno Le Roux, who was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had employed his two daughters, at the age of 15, as parliamentary assistants.
In response to the March 2017 social unrest in French Guiana, Fekl and fellow cabinet member Ericka Bareigts were dispatched to the overseas French department by Prime Minister Cazeneuve.