Didier Guillaume

Didier Guillaume (French: [didje ɡijom]; 11 May 1959 – 17 January 2025) was a French politician who briefly served as minister of state of Monaco from 2024 until his death in 2025. He previously served as the minister of agriculture and food in the government of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe from 2018 to 2020. A member of the Socialist Party until 2018, he was President of the General Council of Drôme from 2004 to 2015, Senator for Drôme from 2008 to 2018 and president of the Socialist group in the Senate from 2014 to 2018.

Political career

Early beginnings

In 2004, after he was elected President of the General Council of Drôme, Guillaume resigned his post as Mayor of Bourg-de-Péage, which he had held since the 1995 municipal election. The town is the chef-lieu of the canton of Bourg-de-Péage, represented by Guillaume in the Drôme General Council from 1998 until 2015.

Senator for Drôme (2008–2018)

In 2008, Guillaume was elected to the Senate. He served as First Vice President of the Senate under the leadership of President Jean-Pierre Bel from 2011 to 2014, when he became president of the Socialist group and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, as the right had won a majority at the 2014 election.

After leaving the presidency of the Drôme General Council following the victory of The Republicans at the 2015 departmental election, he was succeeded by Patrick Kanner as group president in the Senate in 2018. Guillaume also worked as Manuel Valls's campaign director in the Socialist Party's primaries for the 2017 presidential election.