Bertrand de La Chesnais

Bertrand Marie Joseph Houitte de La Chesnais (born 8 February 1958) is a French politician and former paratrooper. He served as a Major General of the French Army from September 2014 to December 2017. In 2021, he was appointed the campaign manager for presidential candidate Éric Zemmour.

Bertrand Houitte de La Chesnais
Bertrand de La Chesnais in 2021
Major General of the Army
In office
1 September 2014 – 31 December 2017
Preceded byJean-Philippe Margueron
Succeeded byBernard Barrera
Personal details
Born (1958-02-08) 8 February 1958
Saint-Mandé, France
Political partyReconquête
Children5
Parents
  • René Houitte de La Chesnais (father)
  • Monique Séguineau de Préval (mother)
Alma mater
Military service
Allegiance French Republic
Branch/serviceFrench Army
Years of service1980–2017
RankArmy general

Biography

Military

La Chesnais was born in Saint-Mandé.[1] His father was René Houitte de La Chesnais (1923–2013), a brigadier in the French army.[2] He attended École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr from 1978 to 1980 and spent 40 years in the French army, including as a paratrooper in the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment in which he took part in specialist operations in Sarajevo, Chad, and Kosovo.[3] In 2014, he was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed Major General of the Army, the deputy to the Chief of Staff of the French Army, before retiring from the military in 2017.[4]

Strategic consultant

In July 2018, he enrolled as a senior advisor in Roland Berger strategic consulting group. He resigned in October 2021, soon after his announcement to support Éric Zemmour.[5]

Politics

In April 2019, he announced his intention to run as an independent candidate for the mayoral election in Carpentras ahead of the 2020 French municipal elections. His candidacy was endorsed by the National Rally, CNIP and VIA, the Way of the People.[6] Chesnais made it into the second round of voting but subsequently lost to incumbent mayor Serge Andrieu.[7]

In October 2021, he announced his support for the potential candidacy of Éric Zemmour for the 2022 French presidential election. After Zemmour announced his intention to officially stand, Chesnais was announced as his campaign director.[8]

Honours

Bertrand de La Chesnais has been awarded the Légion d'honneur and the ordre national du Mérite.

References
  1. "Bertrand de La Chesnais - Who's Who". www.whoswho.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  2. "Municipales : le général Bertrand de La Chesnais à l'assaut de Carpentras". valeursactuelles.com (in French). 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  3. "Biographie du général de corps d'armée Bertrand HOUITTE de LA CHESNAIS, major général de l'armée de Terre" (PDF). www.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  4. "Who is Bertrand de la Chesnais, Eric Zemmour's campaign director?". 7 December 2021.
  5. Benjamin, Polle (22 January 2022). "Roland Berger : malaise sur la soirée d'É. Zemmour au domicile du boss". www.consultor.fr. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. "Municipales : à Carpentras, ville de Marion Maréchal, un général tente l'alliance droite-RN". Marianne (in French). 30 November 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. Ministère de l'Intérieur. "Elections municipales et communautaires 2020". elections.interieur.gouv.fr. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  8. "INFO EUROPE 1 - Le Général de la Chesnais nommé directeur de campagne d'Eric Zemmour". Europe 1. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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