Former French President Jacques Chirac dies at 86

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2019 11:24:07 +0000

CHIRAC (AFP)

PARIS, France (AFP) – Former French President Jacques Chirac, a colossal figure in France’s politics for three decades,  died yesterday at the age of 86, his family said.

The center-right Chirac rose to prominence as mayor of Paris before becoming prime minister and then serving as head of state from 1995-2007.

“President Jacques Chirac died this morning surrounded by his family, peacefully,” his son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux said.

His time at the Elysee saw France advance on European integration and, in a landmark moment for relations with Washington, loudly oppose the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But his legacy is also shadowed by a conviction for graft dating to his time as mayor of Paris. After leaving office, he was handed a suspended jail term that nonetheless did little to dent his popularity among supporters.

First elected head of state in 1995 and then re-elected in 2002, Chirac’s 12 years in the
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