Titan stood up against war in Iraq
POLITICAL titan Jacques Chirac will be remembered for his very determined opposition to the Iraq war, instilling his image as a “man of the people”. The former French premier vetoed the UN resolution, refusing to back his American and British counterparts, George Bush and Tony Blair, lambasting their actions as “illeducated, reckless and childish”.
This made him a hero among his countrymen, for defending French rights on the world stage, reminiscent of French resistance leader General Charles de Gaulle.
Chirac, who was president from 1995 to 2007, was a popular figure throughout his 18-year tenure as Paris mayor and two terms as French prime minister.
He was adept as a middleman for the left and right, providing social reforms for disabled people, the elderly and mothers, while backing businesses when he was mayor.
Charismatic and imposing, he was never a man to mince his words or avoid confrontation. During European negotiations with Margaret Thatcher in 1988, he was famously caught on microphone quipping: “What more does this housewife want from me? My balls on a platter?”
On British food, he was overheard saying: “You can’t trust people who cook as badly as that. After Finland, it’s the country with the worst food.”
Chirac’s nickname “le bulldozer” was gifted to him by an early mentor, President Pompidou, for his ability to get things done.
He was regarded by some as a political chameleon for his skill in reinventing himself time and again.
Born in Paris, Chirac was the only child of a successful aircraft executive, providing him with a privileged start in life. Educated at private schools, he attended the higher-education École Nationale d’Administration, gaining him access into the Civil Service.
His first significant political post was as a minister in agriculture, winning the support of French farmers in return for championing their rights. But he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and his later years were blighted by the corruption scandal engulfing his time in office.
Following an economic slump and race riots in the mid- noughties, he announced he would not seek a third term. After retiring, he was convicted of corruption and handed a two-year suspended sentence.
But his popularity remained and current French President Emmanuel Macron called him a “great Frenchman” after his death, aged 86, following an illness.