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France 24
France 24
National
FRANCE 24

Former French PM Édouard Balladur, once defeated by ally Jacques Chirac, dies at 97

Édouard Balladur attends an hommage to Jacques Chirac on September 30, 2019
Édouard Balladur attends an hommage to Jacques Chirac on September 30, 2019. Éric Feferberg, AFP

Édouard Balladur, who served as prime minister of France from 1993 to 1995, died on Monday at the age of 97. He led a "cohabitation" government under Socialist president François Mitterrand before waging a bitter battle for the presidency against his friend Jacques Chirac in 1995 – a race he ultimately lost.

French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to former prime minister Édouard Balladur, describing him on X as a "demanding, measured, and devoted servant" of France, who had "devoted his life to the Fifth Republic".

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