Jean-Pierre Bel

Jean-Pierre Bel (born 30 December 1951) is a French retired politician who served as President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014. From the Ariège department, Bel is a member of the Socialist Party; he was elected to the Senate in September 1998 and re-elected in September 2008. Bel was President of the Socialist Group in the Senate from 2004 to 2011.

Jean-Pierre Bel
President of the French Senate
In office 1 October 2011 – 30 September 2014
Preceded by	Gérard Larcher
Succeeded by	Gérard Larcher
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office 1 October 2004 – 30 September 2011
Preceded by	Claude Estier
Succeeded by	Jean-Claude Gaudin
Senator for Ariège
In office 1 October 1998 – 30 September 2014
Preceded by	Germain Authié
Succeeded by	Alain Duran
Personal details
Born	(1951-12-30) 30 December 1951 Lavaur, France
Nationality	French
Political party	Socialist Party
Alma mater	Toulouse 1 University Capitole
Profession	Jurist

Following the September 2008 Senate election, Bel was the Socialist candidate for the post of President of the Senate on 1 October 2008, but because the right held a majority of seats in the Senate, he was defeated by Gérard Larcher. In the vote, he received 134 votes against 173 votes for Larcher.[1]

The left won a Senate majority in the September 2011 Senate election, and Bel was elected as President of the Senate on 1 October 2011. He received 179 votes against 134 votes for the right's candidate, outgoing Senate President Larcher; a centrist, Valerie Letard, received 29 votes.[2]