Jacques René Chirac (29 November 1932 – 26 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously the Prime Minister of France in 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as the Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. He is considered one of the least popular presidents in modern French political history. He died of a heart attack at the age of 83.
About Jacques Chirac in brief
Jacques René Chirac (29 November 1932 – 26 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously the Prime Minister of France in 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as the Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. He is considered one of the least popular presidents in modern French political history. In 2011, a Paris court declared him guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence, giving him a two-year suspended prison sentence. He died of a heart attack at the age of 83. His funeral was held in Paris on Wednesday, 26 September. His last words were: “I love you, my friends, my family, my country, my people”. He was also known for his stand against the American-led assault on Iraq, his recognition of the collaborationist French Government’s role in deporting Jews, and his reduction of the presidential term from 7 years to 5 through a referendum in 2000. His great-grandparents on both sides were peasants in the rural south-western region of the Corrèze. According to his name, his name \”originates from the langue d’oc, that of the troubadours, therefore that of poetry\”, he was a Roman Catholic. The nickname for him was ‘Le Bull’ in French political circles, where his skill at getting things done was called ‘le Bull’ He was a member of the French Communist Party, and served as a reserve officer in the Algerian War.
In 1965, he became an auditor in the Auditors Court. In April 1962, he was appointed head of the personal staff of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou. This appointment launched his political career. He also served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of the Interior. He served in the French National Guard during the Second World War, and was awarded the Légion d’honneur for his bravery in the Battle of the Bulge. In 1973, he served as the President of the Council of Ministers of France. He became the first French president to be elected to a third term in office. He won the French presidential election in 1995 with 52. 6% of the vote in the second round, beating Socialist Lionel Jospin, after campaigning on a platform of healing the \”social rift\”. In 2002, he won 82. 2% of vote in second round against the far-right candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He had a very low approval rating during his second term, however, and had to defend his election in a televised debate in 2007. His policies, based on dirigisme, allowing for state-directed investment, stood in opposition to the laissez-faire policies of the United Kingdom under the ministries of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, which he described as ‘Anglo-Saxon ultraliberalism’. He played rugby union for Brive’s youth team and also played at university level.
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