Jean-Paul Huchon, former President of Île-de-France, dies at 80

Jean-Paul Huchon, the former Socialist president of the Île-de-France region, has died at the age of 80. His family announced that he passed away during the night of Thursday, October 22, to Friday, October 23, following a battle with cancer.

Huchon served as the president of the Île-de-France region from 1998 to 2015. His political career was closely linked to Michel Rocard, whom he served as chief of staff between 1988 and 1991. He also served as the mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine from 1994 to 2001.

In his later years, Huchon transitioned into academia, serving as an adjunct professor at HEC Paris starting in 2016. Though a long-time figure in the Socialist Party, he notably broke with the left during recent elections, supporting Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and Valérie Pécresse in the 2021 regional elections.