 He was a secretary of the senate as well as a quaestor, a role that gave him access to government funds that he could distribute to mayors of communes.The party removed him from its official list in 2001; however, he was able to win re-election in the 2001 French Senate Election as a member of the Citizen and Republican Movement.He later left the Citizen and Republican Movement and joined the Left Party formed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.