Béchu has represented the
Canton of Angers-Nord-Ouest since 2001, and was re-elected there during the
2008 French cantonal elections. However, he was narrowly defeated by the incumbent
PS mayor of
Angers,
Jean-Claude Antonini, in the
2008 municipal elections.
Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2011 In 2009, the UMP selected him to lead the UMP list in the
West constituency ahead of the
2009 European elections. He was elected to the
European Parliament as a result. His list won 27.16% of the vote and three MEPs. In parliament, he served on the
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. In addition to his committee assignments, he was part of the parliament's delegation for relations with Japan. He resigned in January 2011. Béchu lost the
regional election of 2010 to become President of
Pays de la Loire region, but was elected as a regional councillor. In the
2011 elections, he was elected as a Senator of
Maine-et-Loire, and thereafter resigned from regional council of Pays-de-Loire.
Mayor of Angers, 2014–2022 During the
2014 French municipal elections, Béchu competed against Frédéric Béatse, incumbent, and became the new mayor of Angers on 4 April 2014. Béchu was
re-elected in 2020. In 2016, Béchu caused controversy when he requested the removal of posters that had been installed as part of a governmental
HIV/AIDS prevention campaign "not to expose a young public to a message they cannot understand“; at the time,
Minister of Health Marisol Touraine denounced Béchu as "
homophobe."
Career in government In October 2023, Béchu participated in the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired by
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and
President Emmanuel Macron. ==Other activities==