Former French president Jacques Chirac on Thursday died aged 86 after a long battle with deteriorating health, prompting tributes from across the political spectrum for a charismatic statesman who famously said “non” to the 2003 Iraq war.
Center-right Chirac, acknowledged even by foes as a canny political fighter, rose to prominence as mayor of Paris before becoming prime minister and then serving as head of state from 1995 to 2007.
Former opponents and supporters hailed his common touch and enduring popularity, while world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin acclaimed his service to France.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a day of national mourning on Monday, when a Mass is to be held at the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris.
“We French have lost a statesman whom we loved as much as he loved us,” Macron said in an address to the nation from the Elysee Palace, hailing Chirac as a “great Frenchman” who had “embodied” France.
Macron and his wife, Brigitte, visited Chirac’s Paris home on Thursday evening to pay tribute to the former leader.
Chirac’s time at the Elysee Palace saw France adopt the euro single currency and, in a landmark moment for relations with Washington, loudly oppose the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
This infuriated then-US president George W. Bush and then-British prime minister Tony Blair, who pushed the invasion even without a mandate from the UN.
Macron praised Chirac for leading an “independent and proud France, capable of rising up against an unjustified military intervention.”
Blair hailed Chirac as “a towering figure in French and European politics over many decades.”
His death was announced by his son-in-law, Frederic Salat-Baroux, who told reporters that he had died on Thursday morning at his home in Paris “surrounded by his family, peacefully.”
Hundreds flocked to the Elysee Palace on Thursday evening to pay tribute and write in a condolence book underneath a large picture of Chirac.
Despite the long line, many took their time to write a detailed tribute to the former president, such as 23-year-old engineer Pierre Etienne, who called Chirac “a fervent defender of Franco-African relations.”
“My admiration and tenderness for the last of the great presidents,” wrote another well-wisher.
Chirac’s death prompted intense discussions about his legacy to France, with commentators united in admiration of his wily political skills and homely style, but divided on what he achieved.
His legacy is also overshadowed by a conviction for graft dating to his time as mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.
After losing his presidential immunity, he became the first former head of state to go on trial in 2011 and was given a suspended jail term.
Despite his long marriage to Bernadette Chirac, he was also known for dalliances with other women.
He said just before leaving office: “There have been women I have loved a lot, as discreetly as possible.”
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