Fabien Roussel

Fabien Roussel (born 16 April 1969) is a French politician who has served as national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF) since 2018. He was the party’s candidate in the 2022 French presidential election where he placed eight in the first round. Roussel represented the Nord's 20th constituency in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2024.

Early life
From a family of activists, Fabien Roussel is the son of Daniel Roussel, former journalist at L'Humanité. After he finished high school in Champigny-sur-Marne, in the Paris region, he graduated from the Journalists Development Centre (CPJ). He began his career as an image reporter at the Ardennes regional branch of television channel France 3. One of his paternal great-grandfathers was a Spanish refugee who died after being interned in the Vernet camp.

Early political career
During his high school years, Fabien Roussel engaged in the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France (MJCF) to denounce the apartheid in South Africa and demanded the release of Nelson Mandela. He also participated in major demonstrations against the Monory law and Devaquet bill, related respectively to employee shareholding and university organisation.

From 1997, he was advisor in charge of communication for Communist Michelle Demessine, then Secretary of State for Tourism under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. He then worked for Jean-Jacques Candelier and Alain Bocquet.

Political career
In 2017, Roussel was elected to succeed Bocquet as the Member of Parliament for the 20th constituency of Nord as a member of the French Communist Party. He became party leader in 2018.

On 9 May 2021, Roussel won the Communist nomination for the 2022 presidential election. He was defeated in the first round of voting, placing eighth and garnering just 2.28% of the vote, the second-lowest vote share the party has ever managed in a presidential election.

He was re-elected in the 2022 legislative elections as a deputy for the 20th constituency of Nord.

In 2024, Roussel was defeated by the National Rally candidate Guillaume Florquin in the first round of that year’s snap elections.

Political positions
Roussel takes progressive positions on socioeconomic issues and favours raising the minimum wage to €1,500 a month post-tax, as well as reducing the workweek to 32 hours and lowering the retirement age to 60. Unlike many French leftists, he is strongly supportive of nuclear power and has expressed a positive view of hunting. He has expressed support for the 2023 pension reform strikes.

Personal life
Roussel lives with his partner Dorothée, a civil servant of category C.