PE351: FDC Death of GEORGES MARCHAIS, SG French Communist Party, November 16, 1997

In December 1972, Georges Marchais became secretary general of the French Communist Party (PCF), succeeding Waldeck Rochet who resigned for health reasons. Elected deputy for Val-de-Marne from March 1973, he was regularly re-elected in each election until 1997. The PCF in 1974 supported the candidacy of François Mitterrand from the first round of the presidential election.

Georges Marchais headed the PCF list in the 1979 European elections and obtained 20.6% of the votes. Nineteen PCF deputies join the European Parliament. He remained an MEP until 1989.

A philatelic envelope, designed by Historiaphil© (Philately Kiosk of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France) commemorates the highlights of the Strasbourg plenary session of the European Parliament. It was produced as a continuation of the collection of philatelic envelopes bearing witness since 1949 to the history of Europe and its institutions. Its edition is limited to 700 numbered copies.