Jacques Chirac
President of France
In office 17 May 1995 – 16 May 2007
Prime Minister	Alain Juppé Lionel Jospin Jean-Pierre Raffarin Dominique de Villepin
Preceded by	François Mitterrand
Succeeded by	Nicolas Sarkozy
Co-Prince of Andorra
In office 17 May 1995 – 16 May 2007
Prime Minister	Marc Forné Molné Albert Pintat
Preceded by	François Mitterrand
Succeeded by	Nicolas Sarkozy
Prime Minister of France
In office 20 March 1986 – 10 May 1988
President	François Mitterrand
Preceded by	Laurent Fabius
Succeeded by	Michel Rocard
In office 27 May 1974 – 26 August 1976
President	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Preceded by	Pierre Messmer
Succeeded by	Raymond Barre
Mayor of Paris
In office 20 March 1977 – 16 May 1995
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jean Tiberi
Minister of the Interior
In office 27 February 1974 – 28 May 1974
Prime Minister	Pierre Messmer
Preceded by	Raymond Marcellin
Succeeded by	Michel Poniatowski
Minister of Agriculture
In office 7 July 1972 – 27 February 1974
Prime Minister	Pierre Messmer
Preceded by	Michel Cointat
Succeeded by	Raymond Marcellin
Personal details
Born	Jacques René Chirac (1932-11-29) 29 November 1932 (age 79) Paris, France
Political party	Communist Party (Before 1962) Union for the New Republic (1962–1968) Union of Democrats for the Republic (1968–1971) Rally for the Republic (1971–2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–present)
Spouse(s)	Bernadette de Courcel (1956–present)
Children	2 daughters
Alma mater	Institute of Political Studies, Paris Harvard University National School of Administration, Strasbourg
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature

Jacques René Chirac ( /ʒɑːk ʃɨˈræk/; French pronunciation: [ʒɑk ʃiʁak]; born 29 November 1932) is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 (making him the only person to hold the position of Prime Minister twice under the Fifth Republic), and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.

After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, a term at Harvard University and the École nationale d'administration (ENA), Chirac began his career as a high-level civil servant, and soon entered politics. He subsequently occupied various senior positions, including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, Mayor of Paris, and finally President of the French Republic.

Chirac's internal policies included lower tax rates, the removal of price controls, strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business privatisation.^[1] He also argued for more socially responsible economic policies, and was elected in 1995 after campaigning on a platform of healing the "social rift" (fracture sociale).^[2] After less statist policy when he was Prime Minister (1986–1988), he changed his method. Then, his economic policies, based on dirigisme, state-directed ideals, stood in opposition to the laissez-faire policies of the United Kingdom, which Chirac famously described as "Anglo-Saxon ultraliberalism".^[3] Chirac is the second-longest serving President of France (two full terms, the first of seven years and the second of five years), after François Mitterrand. As President, he also served as an ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra and Grand Master of the French Légion d'honneur.

On 15 December 2011, the Paris court declared him guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence, and gave Chirac a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Family, early life, education, and early career[link]

Chirac, born in the Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire clinic (Paris V^e), is the son of Abel François Chirac (1893–1968), a successful executive for an aircraft company,^[2] and Marie-Louise Valette (1902–1973), a housewife. His great grandparents on both sides were peasants, but his two grandfathers were teachers from Sainte-Féréole in Corrèze. According to Chirac, his name "originates from the langue d'oc, that of the troubadours, therefore that of poetry". He is a Roman Catholic.

Chirac was an only child (his elder sister, Jacqueline, died in infancy before his birth), and was educated in Paris at the Lycée Carnot and at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. After his baccalauréat, he served for three months as a sailor on a coal-transporter.^{[citation needed]}

Chirac played rugby union for Brive's youth team, and also played at university level. He played no. 8 and second row.^[4]

In 1956, he married Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, with whom he had two daughters: Laurence (born 4 March 1958) and Claude (14 January 1962). Claude has long worked as a public relations assistant and personal adviser,^[5] while Laurence, who suffered from anorexia nervosa in her youth, does not participate in the political activities of her father.^[6] Chirac is the grandfather of Martin Rey-Chirac by the relationship of Claude with French judoka Thierry Rey. Jacques and Bernadette Chirac also have a foster daughter, Anh Dao Traxel.

Chirac (right) in the 1960s

Inspired by General Charles de Gaulle, Chirac started to pursue a civil service career in the 1950s. During this period, he joined the French Communist Party, sold copies of L'Humanité, and took part in meetings of a communist cell.^[7] In 1950, he signed the Soviet-inspired Stockholm Appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons – which led him to be questioned when he applied for his first visa to the United States.^[8]

In 1953, after graduating from "Sciences Po" (more formally known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies), he attended Harvard University's summer school, before entering the ENA, the Grande école National School of Administration, which trains France's top civil servants, in 1957.

Chirac trained as a reserve military officer in armoured cavalry at Saumur, where he was ranked first in his year.^[9] He then volunteered to fight in the Algerian War, using personal connections to be sent despite the reservations of his superiors. His superiors did not want to make him an officer because they suspected he had communist leanings.^[10] After leaving the ENA in 1959, he became a civil servant in the Court of Auditors.

Early political career, Cabinet Minister[link]

In April 1962, Chirac was appointed head of the personal staff of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou. This appointment launched Chirac's political career. Pompidou considered Chirac his protégé, and referred to him as "my bulldozer" for his skill at getting things done. The nickname "Le Bulldozer" caught on in French political circles. Chirac still maintains this reputation. In 1995 an anonymous British diplomat said Chirac "cuts through the crap and comes straight to the point...It's refreshing, although you have to put your seat belt on when you work with him".^{[citation needed]}

At Pompidou's suggestion, Chirac ran as a Gaullist for a seat in the National Assembly in 1967. He was elected deputy for his home Corrèze département, a stronghold of the left. This surprising victory in the context of a Gaullist ebb permitted him to enter the government as Minister of Social Affairs. Although Chirac was well-situated in de Gaulle's entourage, being related by marriage to the general's sole companion at the time of the Appeal of 18 June 1940, he was more of a "Pompidolian" than a "Gaullist". When student and worker unrest rocked France in May 1968, Chirac played a central role in negotiating a truce. Then, as state secretary of economy (1968–1971), he worked closely with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who headed the ministry of economy and finance.

After some months in the ministry of relations with Parliament, Chirac's first high-level post came in 1972 when he became Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under Pompidou, who had been elected president in 1969, after de Gaulle retired. Chirac quickly earned a reputation as a champion of French farmers' interests, and first attracted international attention when he assailed U.S., West German, and European Commission agricultural policies which conflicted with French interests.

On 27 February 1974, after the resignation of Raymond Marcellin, Chirac was appointed Minister of the Interior. On 21 March 1974, he cancelled the SAFARI project due to privacy concerns after its existence was revealed by Le Monde. From March 1974, he was entrusted by President Pompidou with preparations for the presidential election then scheduled for 1976. These elections were moved forward because of Pompidou's sudden death on 2 April 1974.

Chirac vainly attempted to rally Gaullists behind Prime minister Pierre Messmer. Jacques Chaban-Delmas announced his candidacy in spite of the disapproval of the "Pompidolians". Chirac and others published the call of the 43 in favour of Giscard d'Estaing, the leader of the non-Gaullist part of the parliamentary majority. Giscard d'Estaing was elected as Pompidou's successor after France's most competitive election campaign in years. In return, the new president chose Chirac to lead the cabinet.

Prime Minister (1974–1976)[link]

When Giscard became president, he nominated Chirac as prime minister on 27 May 1974, in order to reconcile the "Giscardian" and "non-Giscardian" factions of the parliamentary majority. At the age of 41, Chirac stood out as the very model of the jeunes loups ("young wolves") of French politics, but he was faced with the hostility of the "Barons of Gaullism" who considered him a traitor for his role during the previous presidential campaign. In December 1974, he took the lead of the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR) against the will of its more senior personalities.

As prime minister, Chirac quickly set about persuading the Gaullists that, despite the social reforms proposed by President Giscard, the basic tenets of Gaullism, such as national and European independence, would be retained. Chirac was advised by Pierre Juillet and Marie-France Garaud, two former advisers of Pompidou. These two organised the campaign against Chaban-Delmas in 1974. They advocated a clash with Giscard d'Estaing because they thought his policy bewildered the conservative electorate. Citing Giscard's unwillingness to give him authority, Chirac resigned as Prime Minister in 1976. He proceeded to build up his political base among France's several conservative parties, with a goal of reconstituting the Gaullist UDR into a neo-Gaullist group, the Rally for the Republic (RPR).

Osirak controversy[link]

At the invitation of Saddam Hussein (then vice-president of Iraq, but de facto dictator), Chirac made an official visit to Baghdad in 1975. Saddam approved a deal granting French oil companies a number of privileges plus a 23 per cent share of Iraqi oil.^[11] As part of this deal, France sold Iraq the Osirak MTR nuclear reactor, a type designed to test nuclear materials.

The Israeli Air Force alleged that the reactor's imminent commissioning was a threat to its security, and pre-emptively bombed the Osirak reactor on 7 June 1981, provoking considerable anger from French officials and the United Nations Security Council.^[12]

The Osirak deal became a controversy again in 2002–2003, when an international military coalition led by the United States invaded Iraq and forcibly removed Hussein's government from power. France led several other European countries in an effort to prevent the invasion. The Osirak deal was then used by parts of the American media to criticise the Chirac-led opposition to starting a war in Iraq,^[13] despite French involvement in the Gulf War.^[14]

Mayor of Paris (1977–1995)[link]

After his departure from the cabinet, Chirac wanted to gain the leadership of the political right, in order to gain the French presidency in the future. The RPR was conceived as an electoral machine against President Giscard d'Estaing. Paradoxically, Chirac benefited from Giscard's decision to create the office of mayor in Paris, which had been in abeyance since the 1871 Commune, because the leaders of the Third Republic (1871–1940) feared that having municipal control of the capital would give the mayor too much power. In 1977, Chirac stood as a candidate against Michel d'Ornano, a close friend of the president, and he won. As mayor of Paris, Chirac's political influence grew. He held this post until 1995.

Chirac supporters point out that, as mayor, he provided programs to help the elderly, people with disabilities, and single mothers, and introduced the street-cleaning Motocrotte,^[15] while providing incentives for businesses to stay in Paris. His opponents contend that he installed "clientelist" policies.

Accused of corruption, convicted[link]

Chirac has been named in several cases of alleged corruption that occurred during his term as mayor, some of which have led to felony convictions of some politicians and aides. However, a controversial judicial decision in 1999 granted Chirac immunity while he was president of France. He refused to testify on these matters, arguing that it would be incompatible with his presidential functions. Investigations concerning the running of Paris's city hall, the number of whose municipal employees jumped by 25% from 1977 to 1995 (with 2,000 out of approximately 35,000 coming from the Corrèze region where Chirac had held his seat as deputy), as well as a lack of financial transparency (marchés publics) and the communal debt, were thwarted by the legal impossibility of questioning him as president. The conditions of the privatisation of the Parisian water network, acquired very cheaply by the Générale and the Lyonnaise des Eaux, then directed by Jérôme Monod, a close friend of Chirac, were also criticised. Furthermore, the satirical newspaper Le Canard enchaîné revealed the astronomical "food expenses" paid by the Parisian municipality (€15 million a year according to the Canard), expenses managed by Roger Romani (who allegedly destroyed all archives of the period 1978–1993 during night raids in 1999–2000). Thousands of people were invited each year to receptions in the Paris city hall, while many political, media and artistic personalities were hosted in private flats owned by the city.^[16]

Chirac's immunity from prosecution ended in May 2007, when he left office as president. In November 2007 a preliminary charge of misuse of public funds was filed against him.^[17] Chirac is said to be the first former French head of state to be formally placed under investigation for a crime.^[18] On 30 October 2009, a judge ordered Chirac to stand trial on embezzlement charges, dating back to his time as mayor of Paris.^[19]

On 15 December 2011, Chirac was found guilty in two related cases, involving 19 totally or partially fake jobs created for his benefit by the RPR Party, which he led as Paris mayor from 1977 to 1995. He was convicted of embezzling public funds, abuse of trust, and illegal conflict of interest.^[20]

Struggle for the right-wing leadership[link]

In 1978, he attacked the pro-European policy of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (VGE), and made a nationalist turn with the December 1978 Call of Cochin, initiated by his counsellors Marie-France Garaud and Pierre Juillet, which had first been called by Pompidou. Hospitalised in Cochin hospital after a crash, he declared that "as always about the drooping of France, the pro-foreign party acts with its peaceable and reassuring voice". He appointed Ivan Blot, an intellectual who would later join the National Front, as director of his campaigns for the 1979 European election.^[21] After the poor results of the election, Chirac broke with Garaud and Juillet. His rivalry with Giscard d'Estaing intensified. Although it has been often interpreted by historians as the struggle between two rival French right-wing families (the Bonapartists, represented by Chirac, and the Orleanists, represented by VGE), both figures in fact were members of the Liberal, Orleanist tradition, according to historian Alain-Gérard Slama.^[21] But the eviction of the Gaullist Barons and of President VGE convinced Chirac to assume a strong neo-Gaullist stance.

Chirac made his first run for president against Giscard d'Estaing in the 1981 election, thus splitting the centre-right vote. He was eliminated in the first round with 18% of the vote. He reluctantly supported Giscard in the second round. He refused to give instructions to the RPR voters but said that he supported the incumbent president "in a private capacity", which was almost like a de facto support of the Socialist Party's (PS) candidate, François Mitterrand, who was elected by a broad majority.

Giscard has always blamed Chirac for his defeat. He was told by Mitterrand, before his death, that the latter had dined with Chirac before the election. Chirac told the Socialist candidate that he wanted to "get rid of Giscard". In his memoirs, Giscard wrote that between the two rounds, he phoned the RPR headquarters. He passed himself off as a right-wing voter by changing his voice. The RPR employee advised him "certainly do not vote Giscard!". After 1981, the relationship between the two men became tense, with Giscard, even though he was in the same government coalition as Chirac, criticising Chirac's actions openly.

After the May 1981 presidential election, the right also lost the subsequent legislative election that year. However, as Giscard had been knocked out, Chirac appeared as the principal leader of the right-wing opposition. Due to his attacks against the economic policy of the Socialist government, he gradually aligned himself with prevailing economic liberal opinion, even though it did not correspond with Gaullist doctrine. While the far-right National Front grew, taking advantage of a proportional representation electoral law, he signed an electoral platform with the Giscardian (and more or less Christian Democrat) party Union for French Democracy (UDF).

First "cohabitation" (1986–1988) and "desert crossing"[link]

Chirac during his second term as Prime Minister

When the RPR/UDF right-wing coalition won a slight majority in the National Assembly in the 1986 election, Mitterrand (PS) appointed Chirac prime minister (though many in Mitterrand's inner circle lobbied him to choose Jacques Chaban-Delmas instead). This unprecedented power-sharing arrangement, known as cohabitation, gave Chirac the lead in domestic affairs. However, it is generally conceded that Mitterrand used the areas granted to the President of the Republic, or "reserved domains" of the Presidency, Defense and Foreign Affairs, to belittle his Prime Minister.

Chirac's second ministry[link]

(20 March 1986 – 12 May 1988)

• Jacques Chirac – Prime Minister
• Jean-Bernard Raimond – Minister of Foreign Affairs
• André Giraud – Minister of Defence
• Charles Pasqua – Minister of the Interior
• Édouard Balladur – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Privatisation
• Alain Madelin – Minister of Industry, Tourism, Posts, and Telecommunications
• Philippe Séguin – Minister of Employment and Social Affairs
• Albin Chalandon – Minister of Justice
• René Monory – Minister of National Education
• François Léotard – Minister of Culture and Communications
• François Guillaume – Minister of Agriculture
• Bernard Pons – Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories
• Pierre Méhaignerie – Minister of Housing, Equipment, Regional Planning, and Transport
• André Rossinot – Minister of Relations with Parliament
• Michel Aurillac – Minister of Cooperation

Chirac's cabinet sold many public companies, renewing with the liberalisation initiated under Laurent Fabius's Socialist government (1984–86 – in particular with Fabius' privatisation of the audiovisual sector, leading to the creation of Canal +), and abolished the solidarity tax on wealth (ISF), a symbolic tax on very high resources championed by Mitterrand's government. Elsewhere, the plan for university reform (plan Devaquet) caused a crisis in 1986 when a young man named Malik Oussekine (1964–1986) was killed by the police, leading to massive demonstrations and the proposal's withdrawal. It has been said during other student crises that this event strongly affected Jacques Chirac, who was hereafter careful about possible police violence during such demonstrations (i.e. maybe explaining part of the decision to "promulgate without applying" the First Employment Contract (CPE) after large student demonstrations against it).

One of his first acts concerning foreign policy was to call back Jacques Foccart (1913–1997), who had been de Gaulle's and his successors' leading counsellor for African matters, called by journalist Stephen Smith the "father of all "networks" on the continent, at the time [in 1986] aged 72."^[22] Jacques Foccart, who had also co-founded the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique (SAC, dissolved by Mitterrand in 1982) along with Charles Pasqua, and who was a key component of the "Françafrique" system, was again called to the Elysée Palace when Chirac won the 1995 presidential election. Furthermore, confronted by anti-colonialist movements in New Caledonia, Prime Minister Chirac ordered a military intervention against the separatists in the Ouvéa cave, leading to several tragic deaths. He allegedly refused any alliance with Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National.^[23]

1988 presidential elections and afterwards[link]

Chirac ran against Mitterrand for a second time in the 1988 election. He obtained 20 percent of the vote in the first round, but lost the second with only 46 percent. He resigned from the cabinet and the right lost the next legislative election.

For the first time, his leadership over the RPR was challenged. Charles Pasqua and Philippe Séguin criticised his abandonment of Gaullist doctrines. On the right, a new generation of politicians, the "renovation men", accused Chirac and Giscard of being responsible for the electoral defeats. In 1992, convinced a man could not become President whilst advocating anti-European policies, he called for a "yes" vote in the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, against the opinion of Pasqua, Séguin and a majority of the RPR voters, who chose to vote "no".

While he still was mayor of Paris (since 1977), Chirac went to Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) where he supported President Houphouët-Boigny (1960–1993), although the latter was being called a "thief" by the local population. Chirac then declared that multipartism was a "kind of luxury."^[22]

Nevertheless, the right won the 1993 legislative election. Chirac announced that he did not want to come back as prime minister, suggesting the appointment of Edouard Balladur, who had promised that he would not run for the presidency against Chirac in 1995. However, benefiting from positive polls, Balladur decided to be a presidential candidate, with the support of a majority of right-wing politicians. Chirac broke at that time with a number of friends and allies, including Charles Pasqua, Nicolas Sarkozy, etc., who supported Balladur's candidacy. A small group of "fidels" would remain with him, including Alain Juppé and Jean-Louis Debré. When Nicolas Sarkozy became President in 2007, Juppé was one of the few "chiraquiens" to serve in François Fillon's government.

First term as President (1995–2002)[link]

Chirac with Bill Clinton outside the Élysée Palace in Paris, June 1999

During the 1995 presidential campaign, Chirac criticised the "sole thought" (pensée unique) of neoliberalism represented by his challenger on the right and promised to reduce the "social fracture", placing himself more to the center and thus forcing Balladur to radicalise himself. Ultimately, he obtained more votes than Balladur in the first round (20.8 percent), and then defeated the Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin in the second round (52.6 percent).

Chirac was elected on a platform of tax cuts and job programs, but his policies did little to ease the labor strikes during his first months in office. On the domestic front, neo-liberal economic austerity measures introduced by Chirac and his conservative prime minister Alain Juppé, including budgetary cutbacks, proved highly unpopular. At about the same time, it became apparent that Juppé and others had obtained preferential conditions for public housing, as well as other perks. At the year's end Chirac faced major workers' strikes which turned itself, in November–December 1995, into a general strike, one of the largest since May 1968. The demonstrations were largely pitted against Juppé's plan on the reform of pensions, and led to the dismissal of the latter.

Shortly after taking office, Chirac – undaunted by international protests by environmental groups – insisted upon the resumption of nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia in 1995, a few months before signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.^[24] Reacting to criticism, Chirac said, "You only have to look back at 1935...There were people then who were against France arming itself, and look what happened." On 1 February 1996, Chirac announced that France had ended "once and for all" its nuclear testing, intending to accede to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Elected as President of the Republic, he refused to discuss the existence of French military bases in Africa, despite requests by the Ministry of Defence and the Quai d'Orsay (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).^[22] The French Army thus remained in Côte d'Ivoire as well as in Omar Bongo's Gabon.

Chirac with German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Chirac with then-Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001

Chirac and George W. Bush during the 27th G8 summit, 21 July 2001.

In 1997, Chirac dissolved parliament for early legislative elections in a gamble designed to bolster support for his conservative economic program. But instead, it created an uproar, and his power was weakened by the subsequent backlash. The Socialist Party (PS), joined by other parties on the left, soundly defeated Chirac's conservative allies, forcing Chirac into a new period of cohabitation with Jospin as prime minister (1997–2002), which lasted five years.

Cohabitation significantly weakened the power of Chirac's presidency. The French president, by a constitutional convention, only controls foreign and military policy— and even then, allocation of funding is under the control of Parliament and under the significant influence of the prime minister. Short of dissolving parliament and calling for new elections, the president was left with little power to influence public policy regarding crime, the economy, and public services. Chirac seized the occasion to periodically criticise Jospin's government.

Nevertheless, his position was weakened by scandals about the financing of RPR by Paris municipality. In 2001, the left, represented by Bertrand Delanoë (PS), won over the majority in the town council of the capital. Jean Tiberi, Chirac's successor at the Paris townhall, was forced to resign after having been put under investigations in June 1999 on charges of trafic d'influences in the HLMs of Paris affairs (related to the illegal financing of the RPR). Tiberi was finally expelled from the RPR, Chirac's party, on 12 October 2000, declaring to the Figaro magazine on 18 November 2000: "Jacques Chirac is not my friend anymore".^[25] After the publication of the Méry video-tape by Le Monde on 22 September 2000, in which Jean-Claude Méry, in charge of the RPR's financing, directly accused Chirac of organizing the network, and of having been physically present on 5 October 1986, when Méry gave in cash 5 millions Francs, which came from companies who had benefited from state deals, to Michel Roussin, personal secretary (directeur de cabinet) of Chirac,^[26][27] Chirac refused to follow up his summons by judge Eric Halphen, and the highest echelons of the French justice declared that he could not been inculpated while in functions.

During his two terms, he increased the Elysee Palace's total budget by 105 percent (currently €90 million, whereas 20 years ago it was the equivalent of €43.7 million). He doubled the number of presidential cars – nowadays there are 61 cars and seven scooters in the Palace's garage. He has hired 145 extra employees – the total number of the people he employed simultaneously was 963.

Defence policy[link]

As the Supreme Commander of the French armed forces, he has reduced the French military budget, as did his predecessor. It now accounts for three percent of GDP.^[28] In 1998 the French aircraft carrier Clemenceau (R98) was decommissioned after 37 years of service, and another aircraft carrier was decommissioned two years later after 37 years of service, leaving the French Navy with no aircraft carrier until 2001, when Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was commissioned.^[29] He has also reduced expenditures on nuclear weapons^[30] and the French nuclear arsenal now includes 350 warheads, which can be compared to the Russian nuclear arsenal that consists of 16,000 warheads.^[31] He has also published a plan which assumes reducing the number of fighters the French military has by 30.^[32]

Second term as president (2002–2007)[link]

At the age of 69, Chirac faced his fourth presidential campaign in 2002. He received just 20% of the vote in the first ballot of the presidential elections in April 2002. It had been expected that he would face incumbent prime minister Lionel Jospin (PS) in the second round of elections; instead, Chirac faced controversial far right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen of National Front (FN) who came in 200,000 votes ahead of Jospin. All parties outside the National Front (except for Lutte ouvrière) called for opposing Le Pen, even if it meant voting for Chirac. The 14-day period between the two rounds of voting was marked by demonstrations against Le Pen and slogans such as "Vote for the crook, not for the fascist" or "Vote with a clothespin on your nose". Chirac won re-election by a landslide, with 82 percent of the vote on the second ballot. However, Chirac became increasingly unpopular during his second term. According to a July 2005 poll,^[33] 32 percent judged Chirac favorably and 63 percent unfavorably. In 2006, The Economist wrote that Chirac "is the most unpopular occupant of the Elysée Palace in the fifth republic's history."^[34]

Early term[link]

As the left-wing Socialist Party was in thorough disarray following Jospin's defeat, Chirac reorganised politics on the right, establishing a new party – initially called the Union of the Presidential Majority, then the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). The RPR had broken down; A number of members had formed Eurosceptic breakaways. While the Giscardian liberals of the Union of French Democracy (UDF) had moved to the right.^[35] The UMP won the parliamentary elections that followed the presidential poll with ease.

During an official visit to Madagascar on 21 July 2005, Chirac described the repression of the 1947 Malagasy uprising, which left between 80,000 and 90,000 dead, as "unacceptable".

Despite past opposition to state intervention the Chirac government approved a 2.8 billion euro aid package to troubled manufacturing giant Alstom.^[36] In October 2004, Chirac signed a trade agreement with PRC President Hu Jintao where Alstom was given one billion euro in contracts and promises of future investment in China.^[37]

Assassination attempt[link]

On 14 July 2002, during Bastille Day celebrations, Chirac survived an assassination attempt by a lone gunman with a rifle hidden in a guitar case. The would-be assassin fired a shot toward the presidential motorcade, before being overpowered by bystanders.^[38] The gunman, Maxime Brunerie, underwent psychiatric testing; the violent far-right group with which he was associated, Unité Radicale, was then administratively dissolved.

Stroke[link]

In early September 2005, he suffered an event that his doctors described as a 'vascular incident'. It was reported as a 'minor stroke'^[39] or a mini-stroke (also known as a transient ischemic attack).^[40] He recovered and returned to his duties soon after.

2005 referendum on the TCE[link]

On 29 May 2005, a referendum was held in France to decide whether the country should ratify the proposed treaty for a Constitution of the European Union (TCE). The result was a victory for the No campaign, with 55 percent of voters rejecting the treaty on a turnout of 69 percent, dealing a devastating blow to Chirac and the UMP party, as well as to part of the center-left which had supported the TCE.

Foreign policy[link]

Along with Vladimir Putin (Chirac called Vladimir Putin "a personal friend".^[41]), Hu Jintao, and Gerhard Schröder, Chirac emerged as a leading voice against George W. Bush in 2003 during the organization and deployment of the United States led military coalition to forcibly remove the then current government of Iraq controlled by the Ba'ath Party under the leadership of Saddam Hussein and resulted in the 2003–2011 Iraq War. Despite intense US pressure, Chirac threatened to veto, at that given point, a resolution in the UN Security Council that would authorise the use of military force to rid Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction, and rallied other governments to his position. "Iraq today does not represent an immediate threat that justifies an immediate war", Chirac said on 18 March 2003. Chirac was then the target of various American and British commentators supporting the decisions of Bush and Tony Blair. Future Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin acquired much of his popularity for his speech against the war at the United Nations (UN). However, following controversies concerning the CIA's black sites and extraordinary rendition program, the press revealed that French special services had cooperated with Washington at the same time that Villepin was countering US foreign policy at the UN headquarters in New York.

After Togo's leader Gnassingbé Eyadéma's death on 5 February 2005, Chirac gave him tribute and supported his son, Faure Gnassingbé, who has since succeeded to his father.^[22]

On 19 January 2006, Chirac said that France was prepared to launch a nuclear strike against any country that sponsors a terrorist attack against French interests. He said his country's nuclear arsenal had been reconfigured to include the ability to make a tactical strike in retaliation for terrorism.^[42]

In July 2006, the G8 met to discuss international energy concerns. Despite the rising awareness of global warming issues, the G8 focuses on "energy security" issues. Chirac continues to be the voice within the G8 summit meetings to support international action to curb global warming and climate change concerns. Chirac warns that "humanity is dancing on a volcano" and calls for serious action by the world's leading industrialised nations.^[43]

2005 civil unrest and CPE protests[link]

Following major student protests in spring 2006, which followed civil unrest in autumn 2005 after the death of two young boys in Clichy-sous-Bois, one of the poorest French commune located in Paris' suburbs, Chirac retracted the proposed First Employment Contract (CPE) by "promulgating [it] without applying it", an unheard-of – and, some claim, illegal – move destined to appease the protests while giving the appearance not to retract himself, and therefore to continue his support towards his Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.

Flight tax[link]

Chirac requested the Landau-report (published in September 2004) and combined with the Report of the Technical Group on Innovative Financing Mechanisms formulated upon request by the Heads of State of Brazil, Chile, France and Spain (issued in December 2004), these documents present various opportunities for innovative financing mechanisms while equally stressing the advantages (stability and predictability) of tax-based models. UNITAID project was born. Today the organisation executive board is chaired by Philippe Douste-Blazy.

The Clearstream affair[link]

During April and May 2006, Chirac's administration was beset by a crisis as his chosen Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, was accused of asking Philippe Rondot, a top level French spy, for a secret investigation into Villepin's chief political rival, Nicolas Sarkozy, in 2004. This matter has been called the second Clearstream Affair. On 10 May 2006, following a Cabinet meeting, Chirac made a rare television appearance to try to protect Villepin from the scandal and to debunk allegations that Chirac himself had set up a Japanese bank account containing 300 million francs in 1992 as Mayor of Paris.^[44] Chirac said that "The Republic is not a dictatorship of rumors, a dictatorship of calumny."^[45]

Announcement of intention not to seek a third term[link]

In a pre-recorded television broadcast aired on 11 March 2007, Jacques Chirac announced, in a widely predicted move, that he would not choose to seek a third term as France's President. "My whole life has been committed to serving France, and serving peace", Chirac said, adding that he would find new ways to serve France after leaving office. He did not explain the reasons for his decision.^[46] Chirac did not, during the broadcast, endorse any of the candidates running for election, but did devote several minutes of his talk to a plea against extremist politics that was considered a thinly disguised invocation to voters not to vote for Jean-Marie Le Pen and a recommendation to Nicolas Sarkozy not to orient his campaign so as to include themes traditionally associated with Le Pen.^[47]

Controversy over hijab[link]

French President Jacques Chirac declared his complete rejection of the wearing of the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, by female Muslims in French schools and public corporations. He adds that he perceives a kind of hostility in the wearing of the hijab. Chirac stated that with banning the hijab, there will be more integration in French society. He has contributed in establishing a law that prohibits wearing the hijab and other religious symbols and manifestations in schools and public corporations.^{[dubious – discuss][unreliable source?][48]}

Life after presidency[link]

Shortly after leaving office, he launched the Fondation Chirac^[49] in June 2008. Since then it has been striving for peace through five advocacy programmes: conflict prevention, access to water and sanitation, access to quality medicines and healthcare, access to land resources, and preservation of cultural diversity. It supports field projects that involve local people and provide concrete and innovative solutions. Chirac chairs the jury for the Prize for Conflict Prevention awarded every year by his foundation^[50].

He also became a lifetime member of the Constitutional Council of France. He sat for the first time in the Council on 15 November 2007, six months after leaving the French Presidency. Immediately after Sarkozy's victory, Chirac moved into a 180 square meters duplex on the Quai Voltaire in Paris lent to him by the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. During the Didier Schuller affair, the latter accused Hariri of having participated to the illegal funding of the RPR's political campaigns, but the justice closed the case without further investigations.^[51]

On 11 April 2008, Chirac's office announced that he had undergone successful surgery to fit a pacemaker. In January 2009, it was reported that Chirac had been hospitalised after being attacked by his pet Maltese poodle. According to Chirac's wife Bernadette, the dog, named Sumo, had a history of unpredictable and vicious behavior, and had previously been medicated with antidepressants in an attempt to control it.^[52]

Embezzlement trial[link]

On 7 March 2011, he went on trial for charges of corruption (the first former French head of state to stand trial since Philippe Pétain, who surrendered and collaborated with Nazi Germany) involving the misuse of public money during his time as mayor of Paris (1977–1995).^[53] He was accused of paying cronies and political allies for 28 jobs that did not exist.^[53][54] Along with Chirac, nine others stood trial in two separate cases, one dealing with fictional jobs for 21 people and the other with jobs for the remaining seven.^[53] France's current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alain Juppé, was sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison sentence for the same case in 2004.^[55]

On 15 December 2011, Chirac was found guilty and given a suspended sentence of two years.^[55] He was convicted of embezzling public funds, abuse of trust and illegal conflict of interest. The suspended sentence means he does not have to go to prison, and took into account his age, health, and status as a former head of state when determining the sentence.^[56] He did not attend his trial, since medical doctors deemed that his neurological problems damaged his memory.^[55] His defense team decided not to appeal.^[55][57]

As a former President, he is entitled to a lifetime pension and personal security protection, and is ex-officio a member for life of France's constitutional council.^[58]

Memoirs and popularity[link]

In Volume 2 of his memoirs published in June 2011, Chirac mocked his successor Nicolas Sarkozy as "irritable, rash, impetuous, disloyal, ungrateful, and un-French".^[59][60] Chirac wrote he considered firing Sarkozy before, and conceded responsibility in allowing Jean Marie Le Pen to advance in 2002.^[61]

A poll conducted in 2010 suggested he was the most admired political figure in France, while Sarkozy was 32nd.^[59]

In culture[link]

Impact on French popular culture[link]

Because of Jacques Chirac's long career in visible government positions, he has often been parodied or caricatured: Young Jacques Chirac is the basis of a young, dashing bureaucrat character in the 1976 Asterix comic strip album Obelix and Co., proposing methods to quell Gallic unrest to elderly, old-style Roman politicians. Chirac was also featured in Le Bêbête Show as an overexcited, jumpy character.

Jacques Chirac is a favorite character of Les Guignols de l'Info, a satiric latex puppet show. He was once portrayed as a rather likable, though overexcited, character; however, following the corruption allegations, he has been shown as a kind of dilettante and incompetent who pilfers public money and lies through his teeth. His character for a while developed a superhero alter ego, Super Menteur ("Super Liar") in order to get him out of embarrassing situations. Because of his alleged improprieties, he was lambasted in a song Chirac en prison ("Chirac in jail") by French punk band Les Wampas, with a video clip made by the Guignols.

Portrayals in film[link]

His role is played by Charles Fathy in the Oliver Stone film W.

Political career[link]

President of the French Republic: 1995–2007. Reelected in 2002.

Member of the Constitutional Council of France: Since 2007.

Governmental functions

Prime minister: 1974–1976 (Resignation) / 1986–1988.

Minister of Interior: March–May 1974.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: 1972–1974.

Minister of Relation with Parliament: 1971–1972.

Secretary of State for Economy and Finance: 1968–1971.

Secretary of State for Social Affairs: 1967–1968.

Electoral mandates

European Parliament

Member of European Parliament: 1979–1980 (Resignation). Elected in 1979.

National Assembly of France

Member of the National Assembly of France for Corrèze: March–April 1967 (Became Secretary of State in April 1967) Reelected in 1968, 1973, but he stays minister / 1976–1986 (Became Prime minister in 1986) / 1988–1995 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1995). Elected in 1967, reelected in 1968, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993.

General Council

President of the General Council of Corrèze: 1970–1979. Reelected in 1973, 1976.

General councillor of Corrèze: 1968–1988. Reelected in 1970, 1976, 1982.

Municipal Council

Mayor of Paris: 1977–1995 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1995). Reelected in 1983, 1989.

Councillor of Paris: 1977–1995 (Resignation). Reelected in 1983, 1989.

Municipal councillor of Sainte-Féréole: 1965–1977. Reelected in 1971.

Political function

President of the Rally for the Republic: 1976–1994 (Resignation).

Honours[link]

• Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour^[62]
• Grand Cross of the French National Order of Merit
• Croix de la Valeur Militaire
• Médaille de l'Aéronautique
• Knight of the Mérite agricole
• Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters
• Knight of the Order of the Black Star (Bénin) (French Colonial Order)
• Knight of the Mérite Sportif
• Grand Cross of the Order pro merito Melitensi
• Honorary Officer of the National Order of Quebec
• Cóndor de oro
• Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2000)^[63]
• Member 1st class of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (Russia, 23 September 1997) – for his great personal contribution to the development of cooperation and friendship between the peoples of Russia and France
• Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"
• State Prize of the Russian Federation (2007) – for outstanding achievements in the humanitarian field^[64]
• Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic^[65]
• Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (Portugal, 1999)
• Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
• Collar of the Order of the White Lion (Czech Republic, 1997)
• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (1998)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (Lithuania, 1997)^[66]
• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (UK)
• Heydar Aliyev Order (Azerbaijan)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (Lithuania, 24 July 2001)^[66]
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars (Latvia)
• Ig Nobel prize for peace, for commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Hiroshima with atomic bomb tests in the Pacific (1996)

Titles from birth to currently[link]

• Monsieur le Président de la République française (1995–2007)
• His Excellency The Sovereign Co-Prince of Andorra (1995–2007)

See also[link]

	France portal
	Biography portal
	Politics portal

• Anh Dao Traxel
• List of national leaders
• Politics of France
• French presidential election, 1981
• French presidential election, 1988
• French presidential election, 1995
• French presidential election, 2002
• French presidential election, 2007
• Musée du Président Jacques Chirac

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Emmanuel Hecht, Thierry Vey, Chirac de A à Z, dictionnaire critique et impertinent, Éditions Albin Michel, ISBN 2-226-07664-6
• Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Le pouvoir et la vie, tome 3
• Frederic Lepage, A Table avec Chirac
• Jacques Chirac, La Nouvelle-Orléans et son port en 1954, [Presses Universitaires du Nouveau Monde], ISBN 1-931948-68-2

External links[link]

Wikinews has news related to: Jacques Chirac

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jacques Chirac

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jacques Chirac

• Public opinion polls on Jacques Chirac
• Biography at the Official Website of the Office of the French President
• (French) TF1
• (French) l'Express
• (French) Mairie de Paris
• (French) Biography and his election (2002)
• (French) Some Jacques Chirac's quotations
• Jacques Chirac – A life in pictures photo essay
• Anne Applebaum, Farewell, Jacques Chirac, The Washington Post, 8 May 2007
• Latest news of UNITAID (initiated by Jacques Chirac) and today chaired Philippe Douste-Blazy
• Articles at The Guardian

v t e Republican heads of state of France Styled President of the Republic after 1871, except from 1940–44 (Chief of State) and 1944–47 (Chairman of the Provisional Government) First Republic (1792–1804) National Convention Directory Consulate Second Republic (1848–1852) Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure Executive Commission Louis-Eugène Cavaignac Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte Government of National Defence (1870–1871) Louis Jules Trochu Third Republic (1871–1940) Adolphe Thiers Patrice de Mac-Mahon Jules Armand Dufaure Jules Grévy Maurice Rouvier Sadi Carnot Charles Dupuy Jean Casimir-Perier Charles Dupuy Félix Faure Charles Dupuy Émile Loubet Armand Fallières Raymond Poincaré Paul Deschanel Alexandre Millerand Alexandre Millerand Frédéric François-Marsal Gaston Doumergue Paul Doumer André Tardieu Albert Lebrun Vichy France (1940–1944) Philippe Pétain Provisional Government (1944–1947) Charles de Gaulle Félix Gouin Georges Bidault Vincent Auriol Léon Blum Fourth Republic (1947–1959) Vincent Auriol René Coty Fifth Republic (since 1959) Charles de Gaulle Alain Poher Georges Pompidou Alain Poher Valéry Giscard d'Estaing François Mitterrand Jacques Chirac Nicolas Sarkozy François Hollande Italics indicate interim officeholder

v t e Heads of government of France Restoration Talleyrand Richelieu Dessolles Decazes Richelieu Villèle Martignac Polignac July Monarchy V. de Broglie Laffitte Perier Soult Gérard Maret Mortier V. de Broglie Thiers Molé Soult Thiers Soult Guizot Molé Second Republic Dupont de l'Eure Arago Cavaignac Barrot Hautpoul Faucher Second Empire Ollivier Cousin-Montauban Interregnum Trochu Third Republic Dufaure A. de Broglie Cissey Buffet Dufaure Simon A. de Broglie Rochebouët Dufaure Waddington Freycinet Ferry Gambetta Freycinet Duclerc Fallières Ferry Brisson Freycinet Goblet Rouvier Floquet Tirard Freycinet Loubet Ribot Dupuy Casimir-Perier Dupuy Ribot Bourgeois Méline Brisson Dupuy Waldeck-Rousseau Combes Rouvier Sarrien Clemenceau Briand Monis Caillaux Poincaré Briand Barthou Doumergue Ribot Viviani Briand Ribot Painlevé Clemenceau Millerand Leygues Briand Poincaré François-Marsal Herriot Painlevé Briand Herriot Poincaré Briand Tardieu Chautemps Tardieu Steeg Laval Tardieu Herriot Paul-Boncour Daladier Sarraut Chautemps Daladier Doumergue Flandin Bouisson Laval Sarraut Blum Chautemps Blum Daladier Reynaud Pétain Vichy France Pétain Laval Brinon Provisional Government de Gaulle Gouin Bidault Auriol Blum Fourth Republic Ramadier Schuman Marie Schuman Queuille Bidault Queuille Pleven Queuille Pleven Faure Pinay Mayer Laniel Mendès France Faure Mollet Bourgès-Maunoury Gaillard Pflimlin de Gaulle Fifth Republic de Gaulle Debré Pompidou Couve de Murville Chaban-Delmas Messmer Chirac Barre Mauroy Fabius Chirac Rocard Cresson Bérégovoy Balladur Juppé Jospin Raffarin de Villepin Fillon Ayrault Italics indicates interim holder

v t e Candidates in the French presidential election, 1988 Winner François Mitterrand (PS; incumbent) Lost in runoff Jacques Chirac (RPR) Other candidates Raymond Barre (UDF) Pierre Lambert (PT) Pierre Juquin (independent PCF) Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN) Arlette Laguiller (LO) André Lajoinie (PCF) Antoine Waechter (Greens)

v t e Presidents of the European Council President-in-Office (1975–2009) Liam Cosgrave · Aldo Moro · Gaston Thorn · Joop den Uyl · James Callaghan · Leo Tindemans · Anker Jørgensen · Helmut Schmidt · Valéry Giscard d'Estaing · Jack Lynch · Francesco Cossiga · Charles Haughey · Pierre Werner · Dries van Agt · Margaret Thatcher · Wilfried Martens · Anker Jørgensen · Poul Schlüter · Helmut Kohl · Andreas Papandreou · François Mitterrand · Garret FitzGerald · Bettino Craxi · Jacques Santer · Ruud Lubbers · Margaret Thatcher · Wilfried Martens · Poul Schlüter · Helmut Kohl · Andreas Papandreou · Felipe González · François Mitterrand · Charles Haughey · Giulio Andreotti · Jacques Santer · Ruud Lubbers · Poul Schlüter · Aníbal Cavaco Silva · John Major · Poul Nyrup Rasmussen · Jean-Luc Dehaene · Andreas Papandreou · Helmut Kohl · Jacques Chirac · Felipe González · Lamberto Dini · Romano Prodi · John Bruton · Wim Kok · Jean-Claude Juncker · Tony Blair · Viktor Klima · Gerhard Schröder · Paavo Lipponen · António Guterres · Jacques Chirac · Göran Persson · Guy Verhofstadt · José María Aznar López · Anders Fogh Rasmussen · Costas Simitis · Silvio Berlusconi · Bertie Ahern · Jan Peter Balkenende · Jean-Claude Juncker · Tony Blair · Wolfgang Schüssel · Matti Vanhanen · Angela Merkel · José Sócrates · Janez Janša · Nicolas Sarkozy · Mirek Topolánek · Jan Fischer · Fredrik Reinfeldt Permanent President (since 2009) Herman Van Rompuy

v t e Current members of the Constitutional Council of France President Jean-Louis Debré Members Valéry Giscard d'Estaing · Jacques Chirac · Nicolas Sarkozy · Pierre Steinmetz · Jacqueline de Guillenchmidt · Renaud Denoix de Saint Marc · Guy Canivet · Michel Charasse · Hubert Haenel · Jacques Barrot · Claire Bazy-Malaurie

La Fouine
Background information
Birth name	Laouni Mouhid
Born	(1981-12-25) 25 December 1981 (age 30) Trappes, Yvelines, France
Genres	Hip-Hop Gangsta rap R&B
Occupations	Rkkr/Singer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Sony Music France Banlieue Sale Music
Associated acts	Amel Bent
Website	Official site

Laouni Mouhid, commonly known by his alias La Fouine (English: The Weasel) or Fouiskin (born December 25, 1981 in Trappes, Yvelines), is a French rapper of Moroccan origins from the city of Trappes, Yvelines in the Paris western suburbs. He is an established figure in French rap. La Fouine signed with Sony Records in 2003 and released his debut album, Bourré au son, in 2005. La Fouine released his second album, Aller-Retour, on March 12, 2007. The American beatmaker Focus produced four songs on the album. His most recent album, Mes Repères, was released on February 23, 2009 and is two times gold record in France. His new album, a double CD intitled "La Fouine Vs Laouni," released on February 14 for Valentine's Day, was inspired by the two sides of himself, through his career and experience of his daily life. The first one, La Fouine, a character he created to "entertain people, La Fouine is very cunning, materialistic, bad boy and so vulgar ... it's not really me" said the artist. The second one Laouni (his real name) talks about things he lived in his youth, so his rap is sincere and moving. The week of album's release, more than 25 621 copies were sold in France, a feat for a hip hop artist. He has also his own label "Banlieue Sale Music" and his own clothing line called "Street Swagg".

Discography[link]

• 2004: Planète Trappes Vol.2

(mixtape)

• 2005: Bourré au son
• 2006: Planète Trappes Vol.2 (mixtape)
• 2007: Aller-Retour
• 2008: Capitale Du Crime (mixtape)
• 2009: Mes Repères
• 2010: Capitale Du Crime Vol.2 (mixtape)
• 2011: La Fouine vs. Laouni
• 2011: Capitale Du Crime Vol.3 (mixtape)

Appearances[link]

La Fouine in Besançon in 2011

2000

• La Fouine : Ma génération in Rap.com compilation

2001

• La Fouine Feat MC Circulaire : Façon Fouiskin 2002 *La Fouine : Freestyle in Violences Urbaines mixtape
• La Fouine Feat Alibi Montana - C'est Pour Les Mecs D'en Bas in Mandat de dépot compilation

2003

• La Fouine : Staarflah la famille in Talents Fachés compilation
• La Fouine : Mon autobiographie in Mala, Ma zone mixtape

2005

• La Fouine : C'est pour les mecs d'en bas in West Rider 2 compilation
• La Fouine Feat Willy Denzei : My life
• La Fouine Feat Pat Seb - Let's shake the towels

2006

• La Fouine : Il en faut in Talents Fachés 3 compilation
• La Fouine Feat Jazz Malone : Non-Stop in Panam All Stars compilation
• La Fouine : Les barreaux in Phonographe compilation
• La Fouine Feat Chabodo : Levez haut les drapeaux
• La Fouine Feat. 2g68 : Koma Etilik 2007
• Manu Key Feat La Fouine : Responsable in Manu Key's album, Prolifique Vol.2
• Al Peco feat La Fouine - Apparitions
• Phil G Unit Feat La Fouine : Talents Gachés
• La Toxine Feat La Fouine : J'ai de l'amour pour mes cailles *Matchstick Feat La Fouine : Dignity in Shock Therapy album
• La Fouine Feat S.Kro & Mc Gam'1 - Luxembourg City

2008

• La Fouine : J'repense aux frères in Big Ballers vol.2 compilation *Grodash Feat La Fouine - Tenter sa chance sur le Street CD de Grodash, La vie de rêve
• La Fouine : Respect aux mothers Fouiskin Feat. Phil G
• La Fouine : Très agile, elle niche dans les greniers ou les dépendances Feat Willy Denzei

2009 *La Fouine : "Tous les mêmes" et "Du ferme" in "Mes repères"

• La Fouine : Played the role of "Ali K" in the movie District B13 Ultimatum

2010

• La Fouine "Krav Maga" et "Banlieue Sale" dans "Capitale Du Crime 2"

2010

• La Fouine Ft. The Game - "Caillera For Life"

Videography[link]

• 2004 : "Banlieue Ouest" feat. VF Gang
• 2005 : "Mon autobiographie"
• 2005 : "l'unité" feat. Jmi-sissoko
• 2005 : "Quelque chose de special" feat. Eilijah
• 2006 : "Etat des lieux"
• 2007 : "Reste en chien" feat. Booba
• 2007 : "Qui peut me stopper"
• 2007 : "Banlieue Sale" feat. Gued'1 et Kennedy
• 2007 : "On s'en bat les c******s"
• 2007 : "Responsable" feat. Manu Key
• 2008 : "Tombé pour elle" feat. Amel Bent
• 2008 : "Cherche la monnaie"
• 2008 : "Dignity" avec Matchstick
• 2008 : "Ca fait mal Remix" feat. Soprano & Sefyu
• 2008 : "Tous les memes"
• 2009 : "Du ferme"
• 2009 : "Moi hamdulah cava" feat. Canardo* 2009 : "Krav maga"
• 2009 : "Banlieue Sale Music" feat. Nessbeal* 2009 : "Krav maga Remix" feat. Canardo, Gued'1, Green, MLC
• 2010 : "Nés pour Briller" feat. Canardo, Green, MLC
• 2010 : "Mauvais Oeil" feat. Green
• 2010 : "Viser la victoire" feat. Admiral T & Médine
• 2010 : "Passe leur le salam" feat. Rohff
• 2010 : "Caillra for life" feat. Game
• 2011 : "Veni, Vidi, Vici"
• 2011 : "Nhar Sheitan Click"
• 2011 : "Papa"
• 2011 : "D'où L'on Vient"
• 2011 : "Toute la night"
• 2011 : "VNTM.com" feat. DJ Khaled
• 2011 : "Vécu" feat. Kamelancien
• 2011 : "J'arrive en balle" feat. Fababy
• 2011 : "Ben Laden"
• 2011 : "C'est bien de..." feat. Fababy
• 2011 : "C'est ça le thème"
• 2011 : "Rollin' Like A Boss" La Fouine featuring T-Pain & Mackenson

External links[link]

• La Fouine's official website
• La Fouine sur Inc'Rock Festival vidéo

François Mitterrand
21st President of France
In office 26 May 1981 – 26 May 1995
Prime Minister	Pierre Mauroy Laurent Fabius Jacques Chirac Michel Rocard Édith Cresson Pierre Bérégovoy Édouard Balladur
Preceded by	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Succeeded by	Jacques Chirac
Co-Prince of Andorra
In office 21 May 1981 – 17 May 1995
Prime Minister	Òscar Ribas Reig Josep Pintat-Solans Òscar Ribas Reig Marc Forné Molné
Representative	Jean-Yves Caullet
Preceded by	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Succeeded by	Jacques Chirac
First Secretary of the Socialist Party
In office 16 June 1971 – 24 January 1981
Preceded by	Alain Savary
Succeeded by	Lionel Jospin
Minister of Justice
In office 31 January 1956 – 12 June 1957
Prime Minister	Guy Mollet
Preceded by	Robert Schumann
Succeeded by	Edouard Corniglion-Molinier
Minister of the Interior
In office 19 June 1954 – 23 February 1955
Prime Minister	Pierre Mendès-France
Preceded by	Léon Martinaud-Deplat
Succeeded by	Maurice Fafafi-Maunoury
Minister of Overseas France
In office 12 July 1950 – 15 August 1951
Prime Minister	René Pleven Henri Queuille
Preceded by	Paul Coste-Floret
Succeeded by	Louis Jacquinot
Personal details
Born	(1916-10-26)26 October 1916 Jarnac, France
Died	8 January 1996(1996-01-08) (aged 79) Paris, France
Political party	Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (Before 1964) Convention of Republican Institutions (1964–1971) Socialist Party (1971–1996)
Spouse(s)	Danielle Gouze (1944–1996)
Children	Pascal Jean-Christophe Gilbert Mazarine
Alma mater	University of Paris Free School of Political Studies
Signature

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (French: [fʁɑ̃swa mɔʁis mitɛˈʁɑ̃] ( listen); 26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the first figure from the left elected President under the Fifth Republic.

Reflecting family influences, Mitterrand started political life on the Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy Regime in its earlier years. Subsequently, however, he joined the Resistance, moved to the left, and held ministerial office repeatedly under the Fourth Republic. He opposed de Gaulle's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, Mitterrand outmanoeuvred rivals to become the left's standard bearer in every presidential election from 1965 to 1988, except 1969. Elected President in the May 1981 presidential election, he was re-elected in 1988 and held office until 1995.

Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, a controversial move at the time. In the event, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support erode. They left the cabinet in 1984. Early in his first term, Mitterrand followed a radical economic program, including nationalization of key firms, but after two years, with the economy in crisis, he reversed course. His foreign and defense policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors. His partnership with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via the Maastricht Treaty, but he accepted German reunification only reluctantly. During his time in office he was a strong promoter of culture and implemented a range of costly "Grands Projets". He was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into "cohabitation governments" with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–88), and Édouard Balladur (1993–95). Less than 8 months after leaving office, Mitterrand died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency.

Beyond making the French left electable, Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-mighty Communist Party (as a share of the popular vote in the first presidential round, the Communists shrank from a peak of 21.27% in 1969 to 8.66% in 1995, at the end of Mitterrand's second term, and to 1.93% in the 2007 election).

17 years later in May 2012, France elected Socialist François Hollande to the presidency.

Mitterrand's family[link]

Mitterrand was born in Jarnac, Charente, and baptized François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand. His family was devoutly Roman Catholic, and conservative. His father, Joseph Gilbert Félix, worked as an engineer for la Compagnie Paris Orléans and his mother, Marie Gabrielle Yvonne Lorrain, was a remote niece of Pope John XXII by a genealogical link with the lords de Barbezières. He had three brothers (Robert, Jacques and Philippe) and four sisters.

Marie Lorrain's father, Jules, worked as a vinegar-maker and later served as the president of the federation of vinegar makers (Fédération des syndicats de fabricants de vinaigre), while her mother, Marguerite du Soulier de Clareuil, was a noblewoman and a descendant of both Fernando III of Castile and Jean de Brienne of Jerusalem.

Mitterrand's wife, Danielle Mitterrand née Gouze (1924–2011), came from a socialist background and worked for various left-wing causes. They married on 24 October 1944 and had three sons: Pascal (10 June 1945 – 17 September 1945), Jean-Christophe, born in 1946, and Gilbert Mitterrand born on 4 February 1949. He also had a daughter, Mazarine, born in 1974, with Anne Pingeot. His nephew Frédéric Mitterrand is a journalist, currently the Minister of Culture and Communications (and a supporter of Jacques Chirac, the former president of France), and his wife's brother-in-law Roger Hanin is a well-known French actor.

Early life[link]

Mitterrand studied from 1925 to 1934 in the collège Saint-Paul in Angoulême, where he became a member of the JEC (Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne), the student organisation of Action catholique. Arriving in Paris in autumn 1934, he then went to the École Libre des Sciences Politiques until 1937, where he obtained his diploma in July of that year. Mitterrand took membership for about a year in the Volontaires nationaux (National Volunteers), an organisation related to François de la Rocque's far-right league, the Croix de Feu; the league had just participated in the 6 February 1934 riots which led to the fall of the second Cartel des Gauches (Left-Wing Coalition).^[1]