Jean-Paul Huchon, the Socialist politician who led the Île-de-France regional council for 17 years, died during the night of 22 to 23 October 2026 at the age of 80. His family announced his death; he had been suffering from cancer.

Born in Paris on 29 July 1946, Huchon studied at Sciences Po and the École nationale d’administration (ENA) before joining the budget directorate of the Finance Ministry in 1971. A long-time ally of Michel Rocard, he was Rocard’s deputy mayor in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine from 1977 and succeeded him as mayor from 1994 to 2001. He also served as Rocard’s chief of staff, including at Matignon during Rocard’s time as prime minister.

Huchon was elected president of the Île-de-France regional council in 1998 and held the post until 2015, when he was succeeded by Valérie Pécresse. He later taught public governance at HEC Paris.

Paying tribute, Pécresse said she had lost “a former political opponent who became my friend”, adding that “a page of our regional history is turning.”