Damien Abad

Damien Abad
Born	(1980-04-05) April 5, 1980 Nîmes, France
Occupation	Politician
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Minister of Solidarity (2022); Head of The Republicans parliamentary group (2019–2022); Member of the National Assembly for Ain's 5th constituency (2012–2024)

Damien Abad (; born 5 April 1980) is a French political figure who briefly held the position of Minister of Solidarity within the Borne government led by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in 2022.

He represented Ain's 5th constituency in the National Assembly from 2012 until 2024 and served as the head of The Republicans parliamentary group between 2019 and 2022.

Throughout his career, Abad has been associated with several political parties, including the Union for French Democracy, New Centre, and later the Union for a Popular Movement (which was rebranded as The Republicans). His various mandates include serving as a municipal councilor in Vauvert from 2008 to 2010, a Member of the European Parliament representing South-East France from 2009 to 2012, a regional councilor in Rhône-Alpes between 2010 and 2015, and president of the departmental council of Ain from 2015 to 2017.

Education and family

Abad's family lives in Aubord, located in the Gard department. His father, whose lineage traces back to refugees escaping Francoist Spain, works as a purchasing director. His mother balances roles as a social worker and gymnastics instructor. Abad's education includes attendance at Vallée Verte college and Lycée Alphonse-Daudet, followed by studies at Sciences Po Bordeaux. He earned his degree from Sciences Po Paris in 2004 and subsequently took on teaching responsibilities there.

Living with arthrogryposis, a rare physical impairment, Abad is noted as the first individual with a disability to serve in the National Assembly.

Early involvement with UDF and New Centre, 2006–2009

In 2006, Abad was responsible for budgetary and fiscal research within the Union for French Democracy (UDF) and later for the New Centre group in the National Assembly. He contested Yvelines' 5th constituency during the 2007 legislative elections but obtained only 3.17% of votes. In 2008, he established the Young Centrists movement linked to New Centre and became its inaugural president. He relinquished this role in 2010 to assume the position of co-General Secretary of New Centre.

That same year, he secured election to Vauvert’s municipal council but resigned after being elected to the Rhône-Alpes regional council. While serving there, he participated on committees focusing on Employment, Economy, Social Innovation, Sports, and Youth affairs.

European Parliament tenure, 2009–2012

During the 2009 European elections, Abad was elected as an MEP on the list of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), which was allied with New Centre, representing the South-East France constituency. At age 29, he was among the youngest French members elected to the European Parliament. His legislative focus encompassed economic matters such as industrial policy, social services, and consumer rights protection. He founded the youth-focused intergroup within parliament and served on both the Committee on Budgets (2009–2012) and later on the Committee on International Trade (2012). Furthermore, he was involved with the parliament’s delegation responsible for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council. His MEP office was based in Bourg-en-Bresse.

On 2 April 2015, Abad was chosen as President of the departmental council of Ain. Due to restrictions on holding multiple offices simultaneously, he stepped down from this presidency on 10 July 2017.

Member of the National Assembly, 2012–2024

During the 2012 French legislative elections, Abad secured election as the deputy for Ain's 5th constituency representing the Union for a Popular Movement, obtaining 28.79% of votes in the initial round and 56% in the runoff against Socialist candidate Josiane Exposito. That same year, amid the election for President of the National Assembly, he was appointed secretary of the session, recognized as one of the six youngest parliamentarians.

Abad successfully retained his seat in the 2017 French legislative elections and contended for the presidency of The Republicans parliamentary group, facing Christian Jacob, who prevailed with 62 votes compared to Abad’s 32. Subsequently, Abad held the position of first vice-president within the group from 2017 through 2019.

His committee assignments include membership on the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee, the European Affairs Committee, and participation in the Working Group focused on Legislative Procedure, Parliamentary Organization, and Opposition Rights. Additionally, he serves as vice-president of the France-China Friendship Group.

Since 2014, Abad has been part of France’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, contributing to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development.

In The Republicans' 2016 presidential primaries, Abad endorsed Bruno Le Maire. He later supported Laurent Wauquiez during the party’s 2017 leadership contest.

After Christian Jacob assumed party leadership, Abad again sought to lead The Republicans parliamentary group in November 2019. He won this internal vote by securing 64 votes against Olivier Marleix’s count. This outcome was perceived as a resolution to longstanding factional disputes within the group, with Abad presenting himself as a unifying figure acceptable to both seasoned and newly elected deputies. Unlike Marleix, he was regarded as independent from Jacob’s influence.

At The Republicans' national convention in December 2021, Abad was part of an eleven-member commission responsible for overseeing candidate selection for the 2022 French presidential election, where he threw his support behind Xavier Bertrand.

He was reelected in the 2022 French legislative election. Nevertheless, in the first round of the 2024 French legislative election, Abad finished third and consequently lost his parliamentary seat.

Political positions

In July 2019, Abad opposed France’s ratification of the European Union’s Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.

Ahead of the 47th G7 summit in 2021, he joined approximately seventy legislators from across Europe and the US in urging global leaders to adopt a firm approach toward China, emphasizing the importance of avoiding reliance on Chinese technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G networks.

Controversy

In May 2022, an investigation by Mediapart brought forward allegations accusing Abad of rape by two unrelated women dating back to 2010 and 2011. The Observatory of sexist and sexual violence in politics submitted a report concerning these claims to both Les Républicains and Renaissance parties on May 16. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne acknowledged becoming aware of this report through Mediapart, while Christophe Castaner denied having received it on May 20. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that two complaints filed by one woman had been dismissed in both 2012 and 2017.

Abad responded to these accusations in a letter published by Mediapart, denying any wrongdoing and maintaining that all sexual encounters were consensual. He referenced his disability as rendering certain alleged actions impossible; however, complainants contested this explanation, suggesting it was used to evoke guilt.

In June 2022, Paris prosecutors initiated an investigation into Abad on suspicion of attempted rape.