Jean-Paul Bachy is a French politician and the incumbent President of the Regional Council

President of the regional council

In Italy, the President of the Regional Council is the Speaker who heads the consiglio regionale of a regione, a state-level territory....

 of Champagne-Ardenne

Champagne-Ardenne

Champagne-Ardenne is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine . Its rivers, most of which flow west, include the...

. He is a member of the Socialist Party

Socialist Party (France)

The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...

.

Bachy served as Member of the European Parliament

Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...

 (1983–1988), deputy for the Ardennes

Ardennes

The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...

 (1988–1993) and Mayor of Sedan (1995–2004). He has been a regional councillor since 1986, and was the PS' top candidate in the region in the French regional elections, 2004

French regional elections, 2004

Regional elections in were held in France on 21 and 28 March 2004. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 regions which, although they do not have legislative powers, manage sizeable budgets...

. He narrowly defeated UMP

Union for a Popular Movement

The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...

 incumbent Jean-Claude Etienne

Jean-Claude Etienne

Jean-Claude Etienne is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. He represents the Marne department and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement Party....

 and became President of the Regional Council

President of the regional council

In Italy, the President of the Regional Council is the Speaker who heads the consiglio regionale of a regione, a state-level territory....

. He was excluded from the PS after running against an official PS candidate in the French legislative election, 2007

French legislative election, 2007

The French legislative elections took place on 10 June and 17 June 2007 to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, a few weeks after the French presidential election run-off on 6 May. 7,639 candidates stood for 577 seats, including France's overseas possessions...

.

Since he is not a member of the PS, he could not run in the party's primaries for the 2010 regional elections

French regional elections, 2010

Regional elections were held in France on 14 and 21 March 2010. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 régions, which, though they do not have legislative autonomy, manage sizable budgets....

 but Jacques Meyer, a supporter of Bachy won the primaries and intends to give Bachy the leadership of the PS list in the region.