Former French president,Chirac dies at 86

Former French president, Jacques Chirac, has on Thursday, died at age 86.

AFP reports that “President Jacques Chirac died this morning, surrounded by his family, peacefully,” according to his his son-in-law.

Chirac, who championed Europe, and whose later years were blighted by corruption scandals, was born on 29 November 1932.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission and former Luxembourg premier, said he was “moved and devastated” to learn the news.

“Europe is not only losing a great statesman, but the president is losing a great friend,” Mr Junker said in a statement.

The French National Assembly observed a minute’s silence in his memory.

Chirac, served two terms as president, one as prime minister, and took France into the single European currency as well as the Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.

He served as Head of State from 1995 to 2007, making him France’s second longest serving post-war president after his Socialist predecessor Francois Mitterrand. But his health steadily deteriorated after he stepped down until his death on Thursday.

He was also known for his stand against the American-led assault on Iraq, his recognition of the collaborationist French Government’s role in deporting Jews, and his reduction of the presidential term from 7 years to 5 through a referendum in 2000.