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Former French president, Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86. His son-in-law, Frederic Salat-Baroux told AFP, “President Jacques Chirac died this morning surrounded by his family, peacefully.”
Chirac served two terms as French president between 1995 and 2007, and took his country into the single European currency.
One of his major political reforms was to cut the presidential term of office from seven to five years.
He is France’s second longest-serving post-war president after his Socialist predecessor, Francois Mitterrand.
On the international stage, Chirac would be remembered for angering the United States with his public opposition to the 2003 war in Iraq.
He was instinctive conservative but with an appeal that extended beyond the right.
He also served for two terms as prime minister between 1974-76 and 1986-88. He was mayor of Paris from 1977-1995.
During his time as President, he once lost his presidential immunity in a conviction for embezzlement and misuse of public funds