Clementine Autain French left-wing politician Date of Birth: 26.05.1973 Country: France

1. Early Life and Influences
2. Education and Activism
3. Political Career
4. Election to the National Assembly

Early Life and Influences

Clémentine Autain was born in Saint-Cloud, France, on May 26, 1973. Her mother, Dominique Laffin, was an actress, while her father, Yvan Douten, was a radical anarchist musician and close to Alain Krivine's Revolutionary Communist League. Her uncle, François Autain, was a politician active in various socialist and left-wing parties.

At the age of 10, Autain joined the children's choir "Abbacadabra." Seven years later, her mother passed away.

Education and Activism

Autain pursued a degree in women's history at the University of Paris VIII. During her studies, she became involved in student unions, including the UNEF and the Union of Communist Students.

In 1997, she founded the feminist association Mix-Cité. The following year, she joined the left-leaning think tank, the Copernic Foundation.

Political Career

Autain joined the Communist Party and was elected to the Regional Council on behalf of the Left Front. In 2001, she ran for parliament as a left-wing candidate in Paris's 17th district but lost to Françoise de Panafieu.

From 2001 to 2008, Autain served as Deputy Mayor of Paris for Youth Affairs under Bertrand Delanoë. After leaving this position, she became involved in the New Anticapitalist Party, which formed from the dissolved Revolutionary Communist League. She also helped establish the Federation for a Social and Ecological Alternative.

In 2012, Autain became the spokesperson for Jean-Luc Mélenchon's presidential campaign. She was elected to the municipal council of Sevran in 2014 and the regional council of Île-de-France in 2015.

Election to the National Assembly

In the 2017 parliamentary elections, Autain represented the left-wing green party Together in the 11th district of Seine-Saint-Denis. She won with 59.5% of the vote, defeating Elsa Wanlin of President Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche! party.

Autain joined the "Unbowed France" group in the National Assembly. In 2017, she was denied entry to Israel by Israeli authorities due to her intention to visit convicted Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in prison.