Gérard Collomb, the former mayor of Lyon and Minister of the Interior, died at the age of 76

The former mayor of Lyon died at the age of 76 this Saturday, November 25, 2023. He suffered from cancer. A look back at his political career.

Gérard Collomb died this Saturday, November 25, 2023 from cancer. “He was in a lot of pain these last few days, it was a matter of time“, told us a close friend of the emblematic figure of Lyon. According to our information, the former mayor and Minister of the Interior had been in deep sedation since Thursday.

“Gérard Collomb is dead. He was the worthy successor of Edouard Herriot. The Lyonnais are orphans and I share their grief” can we read on the X account of Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic.

“The President of the Republic and his wife salute with sorrow the memory of a dear friend, of a mayor who devoted his exceptional talents of dialogue and imagination to building a city in his image, of a statesman who embodied republican ascension and authority“, it is further written in a press release published in the evening by the Élysée. The presidential couple sends their heartfelt condolences to his wife, his children, his family, his loved ones and all those who loved him.

The current mayor of Lyon also paid tribute to his predecessor at the head of the municipality. “It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of Gérard Collomb this evening. A transformative and humanist mayor, he will have forever marked the history of Lyon. My deepest thoughts to his family“, writes Grégory Doucet.

Gérard Collomb was born in 1947, the son of a worker father and a mother, a housekeeper. Associate professor of classics, he entered politics in the 1970s.

In 1981, carried by the pink wave of François Mitterrand, he was elected deputy for Rhône. Re-elected in 1986, he then had to fight against the right-wing government.

In 1995, with a new look, without glasses or mustache, he became mayor of the 9th arrondissement. This is the beginning of its massive construction policy. He reuses unused sites to develop his district and attract investors. Facing Raymond Barre, he looks like a runner-up.

In 2001, taking advantage of the disunity on the right, he was elected mayor of Lyon under the PS label, with a majority made up of the plural left. A concept that he initiated. This is an opportunity to carry out your policy at the scale of the city and the agglomeration.

His first summer as mayor promises to be hot, very hot. A car is found at the bottom of a swimming pool in Lyon. He then immediately affirmed his repressive policy. ” Those who committed acts of violence will be prosecuted.” he assures. Difficult to assess the level of delinquency in the city of Lyon during his mandates. One thing is certain: Gérard Collomb will have spent millions of euros to equip the city with video surveillance cameras. He will also be the one who, after hesitating, will arm his municipal police.

Another trademark of the man, the launch of major works. First stone, first shovel, site visit during these different mandates… He never stopped transforming the city and the metropolis. Development of the quays of the Rhône, then the banks of the Saône, creation of the Confluence eco-district and launch of the skyscraper project in the Part-Dieu district. ” We must develop this heart of the urban area and even the metropolis so as to be able to accommodate new activities in what will become a European hub.”

With this in mind, it is developing public transport: extension of the metro, creation of tram lines, commissioning of Velo’v, the first self-service bicycle rental system in France. In 2005, his speech was resolutely eco-compatible. ” We are trying to create a desire to cycle in the city. I think there are many people who will have this desire and who will have a change in their travel choices in the coming years. They will take the bike rather than take their car to travel 500 meters.”

Its leitmotif: a European capital must know how to attract people. As soon as he arrives at town hall, Gérard Collomb will make the Festival of Lights an international event. And millions of visitors will come, every early December, to walk the streets to discover the magic made in Lyon.

In Lyon, there was nothing. It was therefore necessary to create a rather special festival that would leave a mark.

Gérard Collomb

Mayor of Lyon

In 2009, the city that saw the birth of cinema will finally dedicate a festival to it. And then, under his various mandates, he launched the Dance Biennale, the Nuits Sonores (electro music festival) renowned throughout Europe.
And beyond Europe, there is the world. Gérard Collomb wants to sell the merits of Lyon and the metropolis. In the United States as in China, he will seek out potential investors. ” Lyon today is more and more well-known and therefore this is what allows us to have, for example, 70% foreign investors.” he rejoiced.

He won the electoral votes of 2008 and 2014 and even became a senator.

The Lyon laboratory is attractive. In 2017, he joined the government. He becomes Emmanuel Macron’s Minister of the Interior. Between the two men, there is mutual respect.

” It was someone who trusted me. Very early. Who made a clear commitment, when many people were hesitant, waiting to know if things had already been won. He brought me his experience as a local elected official, his knowledge of the field“, says Emmanuel Macron of Gérard Collomb.

The speech of the former socialist who became minister of state is becoming more radical. Carrier of the law on asylum and immigration, his positions divide the country. These ultra-secure positions do not appeal to everyone.

Those who say this are often people who are not faced with the problem of insecurity. Yes, I accept the fact that security is the first freedom.

Gérard Collomb

Minister of the Interior

Mired in the Benalla affair, he resigned from the Ministry of the Interior in October 2018. He returned to Lyon in incredible chaos. Once again mayor, he hopes to win back the hearts of the Lyonnais, but his time in Beauvau has left its mark.

The campaign for the 2020 municipal elections will be the most surprising of his political career. Unable to form an outgoing majority, his own camp divides. Against all expectations, he united for the second round with his former adversaries from the Lyon right. A pirouette that voters will hardly have appreciated. This evening in June 2020, Gérard Collomb lost. And the town hall and the metropolis. It’s the grimace soup. ” This is the end of my political life, in any case, I will continue in the debate of ideas, then to help those who have been with me during these past months“.

In the midst of the COVID epidemic, the protocol for the transfer of power at town hall is constrained. His last speech as mayor is full of emotion. ” I have devoted most of my life to our city, to our conurbation, Lyon, the people of Lyon have always been deep in my heart. This city gave meaning to my life“.

Since his defeat, Gérard Collomb has sat as an opposition elected official, faithful to his appointments. On September 16, 2022, he declared that he had cancer, adding that he was determined to win this fight.