Alain Poher, French lawyer and politician, President of France (b. 1909)
Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (French: [alɛ̃ pɔɛʁ]; 17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996) was a French politician who briefly served as President of France twice, in 1969 and 1974. He held the office ad interim as President of the Senate following the resignation of Charles de Gaulle and death of Georges Pompidou. Poher was affiliated with the Popular Republican Movement (MRP) until 1966 and later with the Democratic Centre (CD) and Centre of Social Democrats (CSD), which he joined in 1976.
A native of Ablon-sur-Seine south of Paris, Poher was a long-time member the Senate (1946–1948; 1952–1995), where he sat first for Seine-et-Oise until 1959 and then Val-de-Marne. He also served as President of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969. As President of the Senate from 1968 to 1992 and the sole unelected President of France under the Fifth Republic, Poher remains an influential figure of the politics of 20th-century France. A leading candidate in the 1969 presidential election, he was defeated by Pompidou in the second round.
1996Dec, 9
Alain Poher
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Events on 1996
- 10Feb
Garry Kasparov
IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. - 13May
Bangladesh
Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. - 10Jun
Sinn Féin
Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without the participation of Sinn Féin. - 4Sep
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
War on Drugs: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare in which at least 130 Colombians are killed. - 25Nov
Florida
An ice storm strikes the central U.S., killing 26 people. A powerful windstorm affects Florida and winds gust over 90 mph, toppling trees and flipping trailers.