Senator François Patriat, a staunch supporter of Emmanuel Macron, has died at the age of 83.

François Patriat, president of the Macronist RDPI group in the Senate and one of Emmanuel Macron 's earliest supporters , died on Wednesday, August 19, at the age of 83. The senator from Côte-d'Or had been hospitalized in Dijon since a serious bicycle accident on July 17.

A prominent figure in Burgundy's political life for half a century, François Patriat began his elected career as a general councillor for Côte-d'Or in 1976. A member of parliament on several occasions, president of the Burgundy regional council from 2004 to 2015, he also held government positions under Lionel Jospin, notably as Secretary of State and then Minister of Agriculture in 2002. A senator since 2008, he announced in June that he would not seek a new mandate in the senatorial elections in September.

One of Emmanuel Macron's earliest supporters

A long-time member of the Socialist Party, François Patriat had chosen to join Emmanuel Macron very early on. As early as 2016, he had supported the creation of En Marche and had subsequently become one of the main relays of Macronism in the Senate, where he chaired the Rassemblement des démocrates, progressistes et indépendants group.

His passing prompted numerous tributes, particularly in Burgundy. The president of the Côte-d'Or departmental council, François Sauvadet, praised a political career "that transcended political divides," as well as François Patriat's deep attachment to his region, to agriculture, and to rural life. "First and foremost, I have lost a friend," he declared, before paying tribute to a man who dedicated fifty years to public service.