In 1983, he became mayor of
Petite-Île after his list won the municipal elections on the first ballot. The same year, he became a member of
Réunion's regional council. Elected General Councillor for the Petite-Île canton in 1988, he chaired the Departmental Council of Réunion from 1994 to 1998. He was re-elected in the
2001 cantonal elections, but resigned the following year
due to a combination of mandates. In the
2002 legislative elections, he was elected deputy for the
Réunion's 4th constituency in the first round, with 50.3% of the vote, notably against
David Lorion (UMP). He is a member of the Socialist group at the National Assembly. He did not stand for re-election in the 2007 legislative elections, which were won by the Socialist
Patrick Lebreton in the second round. After four consecutive terms in office, he did not stand for re-election in the Petite-Île municipal elections of 2008, nominating Serge Hoarau as his successor. However, Hoarau was defeated in the second round by Guito Ramoune, the official PS candidate. == See also ==