Lamia El Aaraje
Lamia El Aaraje | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 22, 1986 Rabat, Morocco |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, pharmacist, lawyer |
| Years active | 2010s–present |
| Known for | Deputy for Paris's 15th constituency (2021–2022), Paris Councillor since 2014 |
Lamia El Aaraje (born 22 November 1986) is a French politician of Moroccan origin who briefly served as the deputy for Paris's 15th constituency in the National Assembly from 2021 until 2022. Since 2014, she has held the position of Paris Councillor.
Affiliated with the Socialist Party (PS), El Aaraje secured her seat in a by-election held on 6 June 2021 following the resignation of George Pau-Langevin. However, her election was invalidated by the Constitutional Council on 28 January 2022 due to identified irregularities. The parliamentary seat remained unoccupied until the legislative elections in June 2022, when she sought re-election but was defeated by Danielle Simonnet representing La France Insoumise (FI).
Education and professional background
Originally from Rabat, El Aaraje relocated to Limoges, France, in 2004 to pursue pharmacy studies. She earned a doctorate in pharmacy, defending her thesis in October 2013, which examined the progression of public health concepts alongside the educational sector’s role in promoting health.
In addition to her pharmaceutical qualifications, she trained as a lawyer with a focus on health and pharmaceutical law. Her professional journey began with an internship at the Haute Autorité de santé before joining the parliamentary staff of Catherine Lemorton, Socialist MP for Haute-Garonne and chairperson of the Social Affairs Committee during France’s 14th National Assembly. Subsequently, she held executive roles within mutual health organizations such as Mutuelle des Étudiants and Intériale Mutuelle.
Political trajectory
El Aaraje became active within the Socialist Party during the 2010s, engaging in left-wing youth groups and spearheading health-related campaigns leading up to the 2012 presidential election.
She has been a councillor representing Paris's 20th arrondissement since April 2014 and was re-elected in 2020. Since July 2020, she has chaired the council’s third commission, which oversees public space, security, and transportation matters.
In June 2021, El Aaraje won the by-election for Paris’s 15th constituency with 56.5% of votes cast, taking over from George Pau-Langevin. The electoral process experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, her election was annulled by the Constitutional Council in January 2022 because of fraudulent support attributed to a La République En Marche! candidate.
Despite this setback, she contested the June 2022 legislative elections once more as the Socialist candidate for the same constituency. Her opponent was Danielle Simonnet from La France Insoumise, endorsed by NUPES. Although NUPES considered El Aaraje a "dissident," she received endorsements from former Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Ultimately, El Aaraje was decisively defeated in the second round, losing the seat she had previously occupied.
See also
External links
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Deputies of the 15th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
- Members of Parliament for Paris
- People from Rabat
- Councillors of Paris
- Socialist Party (France) politicians
- Moroccan emigrants to France
- 21st-century French women politicians
- Women members of the National Assembly (France)
- University of Limoges alumni
- Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University alumni