Jacques Chirac

Jacques René Chirac (ʒɑːk_ʃᵻˈræk; ʒak ʃiʁak; born 29 November 1932) is a French politician, who served as the President of France and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra from 1995 to 2007. Chirac served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976, from 1986 to 1988, and as the Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. After completing his degree at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), a term at Harvard University, and the École nationale d'administration (ENA), Chirac began his career as a high-level civil servant, and entered politics shortly after. Chirac occupied various senior positions, including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, Mayor of Paris, and President of the French Republic. Chirac's internal policies initially included lower tax rates, the removal of price controls, strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business privatisation. After pursuing these policies as Prime Minister (1986–1988), Chirac changed his method. He argued for more socially responsible economic policies, and was elected in 1995 after campaigning on a platform of healing the "social rift" (fracture sociale). Then, Chirac's 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". 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 referendum. At the 2002 French presidential election, he won 82.2 % of the vote against the far-right candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen. During his second term, he gradually saw his approval rating drop, and he decided not to seek re-election. 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.