View source for Jacques Chirac

{{Short description|President of France from 1995 to 2007}}
{{Redirect|Chirac}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Jacques Chirac (1997) (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Chirac in 1997
| alt                 = Chirac head shot of Chirac looking left
| office              = [[President of France]]
| term_start          = 17 May 1995
| term_end            = 16 May 2007
| primeminister       = {{plainlist|
* [[Alain Juppé]]
* [[Lionel Jospin]]
* [[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]]
* [[Dominique de Villepin]]
}}
| predecessor         = [[François Mitterrand]]
| successor           = [[Nicolas Sarkozy]]
| office1             = [[Prime Minister of France]]
| term_start2         = 27 May 1974
| term_end2           = 25 August 1976
| president2          = [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]]
| predecessor2        = [[Pierre Messmer]]
| successor2          = [[Raymond Barre]]
| term_start1         = 20 March 1986
| term_end1           = 10 May 1988
| president1          = François Mitterrand
| predecessor1        = [[Laurent Fabius]]
| successor1          = [[Michel Rocard]]
| office3             = [[Mayor of Paris]]
| term_start3         = 20 March 1977
| term_end3           = 16 May 1995
| predecessor3        = ''Office re-established''
| successor3          = [[Jean Tiberi]]
| deputy3             = {{plainlist|
* [[Christian de La Malène]]
* Jean Tiberi
}}
| office4             = President of [[Rally for the Republic]]
| term_start4         = 5 December 1976
| term_end4           = 4 November 1994
| predecessor4        = ''Party established''
| successor4          = Alain Juppé
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |cont = yes |Political offices {{nobold|1970{{nbnd}}1979}}
| titlestyle     = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder
| embed          = yes
| office5        = [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]]
| term_start5    = 27 February 1974
| term_end5      = 28 May 1974
| primeminister5 = Pierre Messmer
| predecessor5   = [[Raymond Marcellin]]
| successor5     = [[Michel Poniatowski]]
| office6        = [[Minister of Agriculture (France)|Minister of Agriculture and Rural&nbsp;Development]]
| term_start6    = 7 July 1972
| term_end6      = 27 February 1974
| primeminister6 = Pierre Messmer
| predecessor6   = {{ill|v=ib|Michel Cointat|fr}}
| successor6     = Raymond Marcellin
| office7        = Minister for Parliamentary Relations
| term_start7    = 7 January 1971
| term_end7      = 5 July 1972
| primeminister7 = [[Jacques Chaban-Delmas]]
| predecessor7   = [[Roger Frey]]
| successor7     = [[Robert Boulin]]
| office8        = [[President of the General Council of&nbsp;Corrèze]]
| term_start8    = 15 March 1970
| term_end8      = 25 March 1979
| predecessor8   = {{ill|v=ib|Élie Rouby|fr}}
| successor8     = {{ill|v=ib|Georges Debat|fr}}{{collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| office9             = Additional positions
| 1namedata9          = {{see below|{{section link||Offices and distinctions}}}}
| birth_name          = Jacques René Chirac
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=y|1932|11|29}}
| birth_place         = [[Paris]], [[French Third Republic|France]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=y|2019|09|26|1932|11|29}}
| death_place         = Paris, [[France]]
| resting_place       = [[Montparnasse Cemetery]], Paris
| party               = {{Collapsible list
| titlestyle     = font-style:italic; font-weight:normal;
| title          = See list
| [[French Communist Party|PCF]] (before 1962)
| [[Union for the New Republic|UNR]] (1962–1968)
| [[Union of Democrats for the Republic|UDR]] (1968–1976)
| [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]] (1976–2002)
| [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]] (2002–2007)
}}
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Bernadette Chodron de Courcel]]|16 March 1956}}
| children            = 3, including [[Claude Chirac|Claude]] and [[Anh&nbsp;Dao Traxel]]
| alma_mater          = {{plainlist|
* [[Sciences Po]]
* [[École nationale d'administration|ENA]]
}}
| signature           = Jacques Chirac Signature.svg
<!--Military service-->| allegiance          = [[French Fourth Republic]]
| branch              = [[French Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1954–1957
| rank                = [[Second lieutenant]]
}}
'''Jacques René Chirac''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|ʃ|ɪər|æ|k}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Chirac,_Jacques |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417164611/https://www.lexico.com/definition/chirac,_jacques |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2022 |title=Chirac, Jacques |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name="Longman">{{cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/jacques-chirac|title=Chirac, Jacques|work=[[Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English]]|publisher=[[Longman]]|access-date=22 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822102648/https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/jacques-chirac|archive-date=22 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|audio=En-us-Jacques Chirac from France pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|ʒ|ɑː|k|_|ʃ|ɪəˈr|ɑː|k}};<ref name="Longman" /><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Chirac|access-date=22 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Chirac|access-date=22 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|ʒak ʁəne ʃiʁak|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Fabricio Cardenas (Culex)-Jacques Chirac.wav}}; 29 November 1932{{spnd}}26 September 2019) was a French politician who served as [[President of France]] from 1995 to 2007. He was previously [[Prime Minister of France]] from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as [[Mayor of Paris]] from 1977 to 1995.

After attending the {{lang|fr|[[École nationale d'administration]]|italic=no}}, Chirac began his career as a high-level [[civil servant (France)|civil servant]], entering politics shortly thereafter. Chirac occupied various senior positions, including [[Minister of Agriculture (France)|minister of agriculture]] and [[Minister of the Interior (France)|minister of the interior]]. In [[1981 French presidential election|1981]] and [[1988 French presidential election|1988]], he unsuccessfully ran for president as the standard-bearer for the conservative [[Gaullist]] party [[Rally for the Republic]] (RPR). Chirac's internal policies initially included lower tax rates, the removal of [[price controls]], strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business [[privatisation]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=James |first=By Barry |title=Privatization Is Essential, Chirac Warns Socialists : Resisting Global Currents, France Sticks to Being French - International Herald Tribune |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1997/07/15/chirac.t.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509043721/http://www.iht.com/articles/1997/07/15/chirac.t.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=www.iht.com |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref>

After pursuing these policies in his second term as prime minister, Chirac changed his views. He argued for different [[Economic history of France|economic policies]] and was elected president in [[1995 French presidential election|1995]], with 52.6% of the vote in the second round, beating Socialist [[Lionel Jospin]], after campaigning on a platform of healing the "social rift" ({{lang|fr|fracture sociale}}).<ref name="Bonjour">{{cite web |url=http://www.bonjourlafrance.net/france-history/jacques-chirac.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040807162626/http://bonjourlafrance.net/france-history/jacques-chirac.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=7 August 2004 |title=Jacques Chirac President of France from 1995 to 2007 |publisher=Bonjourlafrance.net |access-date=20 April 2010 }}</ref> Chirac's economic policies, based on [[dirigisme]], allowing for state-directed investment, stood in opposition to the ''[[laissez-faire]]'' policies of the United Kingdom under the ministries of [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Premiership of John Major|John Major]], which Chirac described as "Anglo-Saxon [[ultraliberalism]]".<ref name="a">{{cite book |last=Giavazzi |first=Francesco |author2=Alberto Alesina |year=2006 |title=The Future of Europe: Reform Or Decline |url=https://archive.org/details/futureeuroperefo00ales/page/n135 |url-access=limited |page=125 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-01232-4 }}</ref>

Chirac was known for his stand against the American-led [[invasion of Iraq]], his recognition of the [[Vichy France|collaborationist French government]]'s [[The Holocaust in France|role in deporting Jews]], him ending [[Conscription in France|conscription]] in 1997, and his reduction of the presidential term from seven years to five through a [[2000 French constitutional referendum|referendum in 2000]]. At the [[2002 French presidential election|2002 presidential election]], he won 82.2% of the vote in the second round against the far-right candidate, [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]], and was the last president to be re-elected until [[2022 French presidential election|2022]]. In 2011, a Paris court declared Chirac guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence, giving him a two-year [[suspended prison sentence]].<ref>{{cite web|last=France|first=Connexion|title=Chirac gets 2-year suspended sentence|url=https://www.connexionfrance.com/Archive/Chirac-gets-2-year-suspended-sentence|access-date=2021-06-07|website=connexionfrance.com|language=en|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607144910/https://www.connexionfrance.com/Archive/Chirac-gets-2-year-suspended-sentence|url-status=live}}</ref>{{TOC limit|3}}

== Early life and education ==

=== Family background ===
Jacques René Chirac was born on 29 November 1932 in the [[5th arrondissement of Paris]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4190491/Deces_2019.zip |title=Fichier des décès – année 2019 |trans-title=Death file – year 2019 |publisher=National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies |access-date=26 January 2021 |language=fr |archive-date=1 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101003654/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4190491/Deces_2019.zip |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the son of Abel François Marie Chirac (1898–1968), a successful executive for an aircraft company,<ref name=Bonjour /> and Marie-Louise Valette (1902–1973), a housewife. His grandparents were all teachers<ref>{{cite news |title=Jacques Chirac, French president, 1932-2019 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/8f1ec868-7e60-11e6-bc52-0c7211ef3198 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=1 January 2020 |last1=Graham |first1=Robert |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001121712/https://www.ft.com/content/8f1ec868-7e60-11e6-bc52-0c7211ef3198/ |url-status=live }}</ref> from {{lang|fr|[[Sainte-Féréole]]|italic=no}} in {{lang|fr|[[Corrèze]]|italic=no}}. His great-grandparents on both sides were [[peasant]]s in the rural south-western region of the {{lang|fr|Corrèze|italic=no}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=The last true Gaullist: how Jacques Chirac charmed France |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2019/10/last-true-gaullist-how-jacques-chirac-charmed-france |work=[[New Statesman]] |access-date=1 January 2020 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004032425/https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2019/10/last-true-gaullist-how-jacques-chirac-charmed-france |archive-date=4 October 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to Chirac, his name "originates from the {{lang|fr|[[Occitan language|langue d'oc]]}}, that of the troubadours, therefore that of poetry".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Boué-Merrac |first=Pierre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLpYDwAAQBAJ&dq=chirac+pour+origine+la+langue+d%27oc%2C+celle+des+troubadours%2C+donc+celle+de+la+po%C3%A9sie&pg=PT33 |title=Jacques Chirac authentique : la biographie inédite du Ve Président de la Ve République |date=1995-01-01 |publisher=FeniXX réédition numérique |isbn=978-2-402-13414-9 |language=fr |trans-title=Authentic Jacques Chirac: The Untold Biography of the 5th President of the 5th Republic}}</ref> He was a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacques Chirac Fast Facts |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/21/europe/jacques-chirac-fast-facts |publisher=CNN |date=21 January 2013 |access-date=30 December 2019 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001121716/https://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/21/world/europe/jacques-chirac-fast-facts/index.html/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chirac was an only child (his elder sister, Jacqueline, died in infancy nearly ten years before his birth).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/15/jacques-chirac-verdict-corruption-french |title=Jacques Chirac verdict welcomed by anti-corruption campaigners |last=Willsher |first=Kim |date=15 December 2011 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001121722/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/15/jacques-chirac-verdict-corruption-french/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was educated in Paris at the {{lang|fr|[[Cours Hattemer]]|italic=no}}, a private school.<ref>{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Quelques Anciens Celebres – Hattemar}} |url=http://www.hattemer.fr/fr/l-ecole/association-des-anciens-eleves/# |title=Quelques Anciens Celebres |publisher=Hattemer |access-date=30 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618133955/http://www.hattemer.fr/fr/l-ecole/association-des-anciens-eleves/ |archive-date=18 June 2015 }}</ref> He then attended the {{lang|fr|[[Lycée Carnot]]|italic=no}} and the {{lang|fr|[[Lycée Louis-le-Grand]]|italic=no}}. After his {{lang|fr|[[baccalauréat]]}}, behind his father's back, he went off to serve for three months as a sailor on a coal transport.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Chirac |first=Jacques |title=My Life in Politics |publisher=St Martin's Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1137088031 |page=11}}</ref>

Chirac played [[rugby union]] for [[CA Brive|Brive]]'s youth team, and also played at university level. He played [[number 8 (rugby union)|no. 8]] and [[second Row (rugby union)|second row]].<ref name=Famous>[http://wesclark.com/rrr/famous.html Famous Ruggers by Wes Clark and others] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819010827/http://wesclark.com/rrr/famous.html |date=19 August 2009 }}. Retrieved 19 August 2009.</ref> At age 18, his ambition was to become a ship's captain.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Ross |first=George |year=2013 |title=The Trials and Triumphs of 'Egocentric Buffalo' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24517586 |journal=French Politics, Culture & Society |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=105–117 |doi=10.3167/fpcs.2013.310107 |jstor=24517586 |issn=1537-6370|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Education and early career ===
At age 16, Chirac wanted to learn [[Sanskrit]] and found a [[White émigré|White Russian]] Sanskrit teacher in Paris who ended up teaching him Russian; by age 17 Chirac was almost fluent in Russian.<ref name=":1" /> Inspired by [[Charles de Gaulle]], Chirac started to pursue a civil service career in the 1950s. During this period, he joined the [[French Communist Party]], sold copies of {{lang|fr|[[L'Humanité]]}}, and took part in meetings of a communist cell.<ref name=d>''[[France 3]]'', 12 November 1993</ref> In 1950, he signed the Soviet-inspired [[Stockholm Appeal]] for the abolition of [[nuclear weapon]]s – which led him to be questioned when he applied for his first visa to the United States.<ref name="l'Humanité1995">{{cite journal |date=8 May 1995 |title=Jacques Chirac, sabre au clair |trans-title=Jacques Chirac, with saber drawn |url=https://www.humanite.fr/1995-05-08_Articles_-Jacques-Chirac-sabre-au-clair |url-status=dead |journal=[[L'Humanité]] |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329031110/http://www.humanite.fr/1995-05-08_Articles_-Jacques-Chirac-sabre-au-clair |archive-date=29 March 2010 |access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref>

In 1953, after graduating from the {{lang|fr|[[Sciences Po]]|italic=no}}, he attended a non-credit course at [[Harvard University]]'s summer school, before entering the {{lang|fr|[[École nationale d'administration]]|italic=no}}, which trains France's top civil servants, in 1957.<ref name=":0" />

In the United States, Chirac worked at [[Anheuser-Busch]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/europe/jacques-chirac-former-french-president-died-intl/index.html |title=Jacques Chirac, former French president, is dead at 86 |access-date=26 September 2019 |publisher=CNN |date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001121733/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/europe/jacques-chirac-former-french-president-died-intl/index.html/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chirac trained as a reserve military officer in [[armoured warfare|armoured cavalry]] at [[Saumur]].<ref>{{cite book |language=fr |first1=Pierre |last1=Péan |title=L'inconnu de l'Elysée |location= Paris |publisher=Fayard |year=2007 |isbn=978-2213631493 }}</ref> He then volunteered to fight in the [[Algerian War]], using personal connections to be sent despite the reservations of his superiors. His superiors did not want to make him an officer because they suspected he had communist leanings.<ref name=g>Emmanuel Hecht and François Vey ''Chirac de A à Z, dictionnaire critique et impertinent'', A. Michel, 1995, {{ISBN|2-226-07664-6}}</ref> In 1965, he became an auditor in the [[Court of Audit (France)|Court of Auditors]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/jacques_chirac-en-13bdfc92-f83f-4e62-aba8-2800aa9bde2f.html|title=Jacques Chirac|website=CVCE.eu|date=30 September 2019|access-date=17 January 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001121738/https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/jacques_chirac-en-13bdfc92-f83f-4e62-aba8-2800aa9bde2f.html/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Early political career ==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2017}}

=== The "Bulldozer": 1962–1971 ===
In April 1962, Chirac was appointed head of the personal staff of Prime Minister [[Georges Pompidou]]. This appointment launched Chirac's political career. Pompidou considered Chirac his [[mentorship|protégé]], and referred to him as "my bulldozer" for his skill at getting things done. The nickname {{lang|fr|Le Bulldozer}} caught on in French political circles, where it also referred to his abrasive manner. As late as the 1988 [[1988 French presidential election|presidential election]], Chirac maintained this reputation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/28/magazine/au-revoir-to-ideology.html?pagewanted=all|title=Au revoir to ideology|last=Markham|first=James M.|date=28 February 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|quote=Prime Minister Chirac, whose abrasive manner once earned him the nickname "the Bulldozer,"...|access-date=14 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194902/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/28/magazine/au-revoir-to-ideology.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

At Pompidou's suggestion, Chirac ran as a [[Gaullist]] for a seat in the [[French National Assembly|National Assembly]] in 1967.<ref name=":0" /> He was elected deputy for his home [[Corrèze]] {{lang|fr|département}}, a stronghold of the left. This surprising victory in the context of a Gaullist ebb permitted him to enter the government as [[Minister of Social Affairs (France)|Minister of Social Affairs]]. Although Chirac was well-situated in de Gaulle's entourage, being related by marriage to the general's sole companion at the time of the [[Appeal of 18 June]] 1940, he was more of a "Pompidolian" than a "Gaullist". When student and worker unrest rocked France in [[May 1968 in France|May 1968]], Chirac played a central role in negotiating a truce.<ref name=":0" /> Subsequently, as state secretary of economy (1968–1971), he worked closely with [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]], who headed the ministry of economy and finance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Willsher |first=Kim |date=2020-12-03 |title=Valéry Giscard d'Estaing obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/03/valery-giscard-destaing-obituary |access-date=2025-05-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== Cabinet minister: 1971–1974 ===
After some months in the ministry for Relations with Parliament, Chirac's first high-level post came in 1972 when he became [[Minister of Agriculture (France)|Minister of Agriculture]] and Rural Development under Pompidou, who had been elected president in 1969, after de Gaulle retired. Chirac quickly earned a reputation as a champion of French farmers' interests, and first attracted international attention when he assailed U.S., [[West German]], and [[European Commission]] agricultural policies which conflicted with French interests.

On 27 February 1974, after the resignation of [[Raymond Marcellin]], Chirac was appointed [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Giscard appoints Chirac, Gaullist, France's Premier; Interior Minister, 41, Picked by President for Support During the Campaign Worked Under Giscard Largest in Assembly | work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/05/28/79332094.html?pageNumber=9 |access-date=2022-05-19 |language=en}}</ref> On 21 March 1974, he cancelled the [[SAFARI]] project due to privacy concerns after its existence was revealed by {{lang|fr|[[Le Monde]]}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manache |first=Jean-Marc |date=2010-12-23 |title=Safari et la (nouvelle) chasse aux Français |trans-title=Safari and the (new) hunt for French people |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/bugbrother/2010/12/23/safari-et-la-nouvelle-chasse-aux-francais/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |work=[[Le Monde]] |language=French}}</ref> From March 1974, he was entrusted by President Pompidou with preparations for the presidential election then scheduled for 1976. These elections were moved forward because of Pompidou's sudden death on 2 April 1974.

Chirac vainly attempted to rally Gaullists behind Prime Minister [[Pierre Messmer]]. [[Jacques Chaban-Delmas]] announced his candidacy in spite of the disapproval of the "Pompidolians". Chirac and others published the ''call of the 43'' in favour of Giscard d'Estaing, the leader of the non-Gaullist part of the parliamentary majority. Giscard d'Estaing was elected as Pompidou's successor after France's most competitive election campaign in years. In return, the new president chose Chirac to lead the cabinet.

=== Prime Minister under Giscard: 1974–1976 ===
[[File:1975 Ceausescu J. Chirac Neptun.jpg|thumb|right|Chirac with Romanian president [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] during a visit to [[Neptun, Romania|Neptun]], 1975]]
When [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] became president, he nominated Chirac as [[Prime Minister of France|prime minister]] on 27 May 1974, to reconcile the "Giscardian" and "non-Giscardian" factions of the parliamentary majority. At the age of 41, Chirac stood out as the very model of the {{lang|fr|jeunes loups}} ('young wolves') of French politics, but he was faced with the hostility of the "Barons of Gaullism" who considered him a traitor for his role during the previous presidential campaign. In December 1974, he took the lead of the [[Union of Democrats for the Republic]] (UDR) against the will of its more senior personalities.

As prime minister, Chirac quickly set about persuading the Gaullists that, despite the social reforms proposed by President Giscard, the basic tenets of Gaullism, such as national and European independence, would be retained. Chirac was advised by Pierre Juillet and [[Marie-France Garaud]], two former advisers of Pompidou. These two organised the campaign against Chaban-Delmas in 1974. They advocated a clash with Giscard d'Estaing because they thought his policy bewildered the conservative electorate.<ref name="palier1">{{cite web|last=Palier|first=Bruno|title=France more liberalised than social democratized?|url=http://www.ces.fas.harvard.edu/conferences/nordic/papers/France.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703034255/http://www.ces.fas.harvard.edu/conferences/nordic/papers/France.pdf|archive-date=3 July 2010|publisher=Chercheur CNRS au CEVIPOF}}</ref>

Citing Giscard's unwillingness to give him authority, Chirac resigned as prime minister in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meisler |first=Stanley |date=1986-03-21 |title=Chirac Named French Premier; Cabinet Picked |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-21-mn-5043-story.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He proceeded to build up his political base among France's several conservative parties, with a goal of reconstituting the Gaullist UDR into a [[Neo-Gaullist]] group, the Rally for the Republic (RPR). Chirac's first tenure as prime minister was also an arguably progressive one, with improvements in both the minimum wage and the social welfare system carried out during the course of his premiership.<ref name="palier1"/>

=== Mayor of Paris: 1977–1995 ===
After his departure from the cabinet, Chirac wanted to gain the leadership of the political right, to gain the French presidency in the future. The RPR was conceived as an electoral machine against President [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing|Giscard d'Estaing]]. Paradoxically, Chirac benefited from Giscard's decision to create the office of [[mayor (France)|mayor]] in Paris, which had been in abeyance since the 1871 [[Paris Commune|Commune]], because the leaders of the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] (1871–1940) feared that having municipal control of the capital would give the mayor too much power. In 1977, Chirac stood as a candidate against [[Michel d'Ornano]], a close friend of the president, and won. As mayor of Paris, Chirac's political influence grew. He held this post until 1995.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-12-15 |title=Profile: Jacques Chirac |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-12666433 |access-date=2020-06-05 |archive-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723001059/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-12666433 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chirac supporters point out that, as mayor, he provided programmes to help the elderly, people with disabilities, and single mothers, and introduced the street-cleaning [[Motocrotte]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/12/worlddispatch.jonhenley |title=Merde most foul |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=UK |date=12 April 2002 |access-date=29 July 2010 |first=Jon |last=Henley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826021821/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/12/worlddispatch.jonhenley |archive-date=26 August 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> while providing incentives for businesses to stay in Paris. His opponents contend that he installed "[[Clientelism|clientelist]]" policies.

== Governmental opposition ==
=== Struggle for the right-wing leadership: 1976–1986 ===
[[File:EEG-top in Den Haag vergadering ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken vergadering, Bestanddeelnr 933-6981 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Jacques Chirac with president [[François Mitterrand]] (1986)]]
In 1978, Chirac attacked Giscard's [[pro-European]] policy and made a nationalist turn with the December 1978 [[Call of Cochin]], initiated by his counsellors [[Marie-France Garaud]] and {{ill|Pierre Juillet|fr}}, which had first been called by Pompidou. Hospitalised in {{lang|fr|[[Hôpital Cochin]]|italic=no}} after a car crash, he declared that "as always about the drooping of France, the pro-foreign party acts with its peaceable and reassuring voice". He appointed [[Yvan Blot]], an intellectual who would later join the [[National Front (France)|National Front]], as director of his campaigns for the [[1979 European Parliament election in France|1979 European election]].<ref name="Slama">[[:fr:Alain-Gérard Slama|Alain-Gérard Slama]], "Vous avez dit bonapartiste ?" in ''L'Histoire'' n°313, October 2006, pp. 60–63 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

After the poor results of the election, Chirac broke with Garaud and Juillet. Vexed Marie-France Garaud stated: "We thought Chirac was made of the same marble of which statues are carved in, we perceive he's of the same [[faience]] [[bidet]]s are made of."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives-lepost.huffingtonpost.fr/article/2008/05/03/1188869_la-cruella-de-la-droite-revient-pour-tacler-sarkozy.html |title=La "Cruella" de la droite revient... Marie-France Garaud taclera-t-elle Sarkozy? |work=Le Post |access-date=14 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822110854/http://archives-lepost.huffingtonpost.fr/article/2008/05/03/1188869_la-cruella-de-la-droite-revient-pour-tacler-sarkozy.html |archive-date=22 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His rivalry with Giscard d'Estaing intensified.

Chirac made his first run for president against Giscard d'Estaing in the [[1981 French presidential election|1981 election]], thus splitting the centre-right vote.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Chirac, ex-ally, challenges Giscard |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1981/02/11/260206.html |access-date=2022-05-14 |language=en}}</ref> He was eliminated in the first round with 18% of the vote. He reluctantly supported Giscard in the second round. He refused to give instructions to the RPR voters but said that he supported the incumbent president "in a private capacity", which was interpreted as almost ''de facto'' support of the [[French Socialist Party|Socialist Party]]'s (PS) candidate, [[François Mitterrand]], who was elected by a broad majority.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mitterrand beats Giscard; Socialist victory reverses trend of 23 years in France |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1981/05/11/117115.html |access-date=2022-05-14 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=A1 |language=en |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Giscard has always blamed Chirac for his defeat. He was told by Mitterrand, before his death, that the latter had dined with Chirac before the election. Chirac told the Socialist candidate that he wanted to "get rid of Giscard". In his memoirs, Giscard wrote that between the two rounds, he phoned the RPR headquarters. He passed himself off, as a right-wing voter, by changing his voice. The RPR employee advised him "certainly do not vote Giscard!" After 1981, the relationship between the two men became tense, with Giscard, even though he had been in the same government coalition as Chirac, criticising Chirac's actions openly.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

After the May 1981 presidential election, the right also lost the subsequent [[1981 French legislative election|legislative election]] that year. However, as Giscard had been knocked out, Chirac appeared as the principal leader of the right-wing opposition. Due to his attacks against the economic policy of the Socialist government, he gradually aligned himself with the prevailing [[Economic liberalism|economically liberal]] opinion, even though it did not correspond with Gaullist doctrine. While the far-right National Front grew, taking advantage of the [[proportional representation]] electoral system which had been introduced for the [[1986 French legislative election|1986 legislative elections]], he signed an electoral pact with the Giscardian (and more or less Christian Democratic) party [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF).{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

=== Prime Minister under Mitterrand: 1986–1988 ===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan, President Jacques Chirac, Nancy Reagan and Bernadette Chirac (4x5 cropped).jpg|thumb|President [[Ronald Reagan]], Jacques Chirac, [[Nancy Reagan]] and [[Bernadette Chirac]], ([[White House]], March 1987)]]

When the RPR/UDF right-wing coalition won a slight majority in the National Assembly in the [[1986 French legislative election|1986 election]], Mitterrand (PS) appointed Chirac prime minister (though many in Mitterrand's inner circle lobbied him to choose [[Jacques Chaban-Delmas]] instead). This unprecedented power-sharing arrangement, known as [[cohabitation (government)|cohabitation]], gave Chirac the lead in domestic affairs. However, it is generally conceded that Mitterrand used the areas granted to the President of the Republic, or "reserved domains" of the Presidency, Defence and Foreign Affairs, to belittle his prime minister.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Chirac's cabinet [[privatization|sold many public companies]], renewing the [[liberalisation]] initiated under [[Laurent Fabius]]'s Socialist government of 1984–1986, and abolished the [[solidarity tax on wealth]] (ISF), a symbolic tax on those with high-value assets introduced by Mitterrand's government. Elsewhere, the plan for university reform (plan [[Alain Devaquet|Devaquet]]) caused a crisis in 1986 when a student called [[Death of Malik Oussekine|Malik Oussekine]] was killed by the police, leading to massive demonstrations and the proposal's withdrawal. It has been said during other student crises that this event strongly affected Jacques Chirac, who was afterwards careful about possible [[police violence]] during such demonstrations (e.g., maybe explaining part of the decision to "promulgate without applying" the [[First Employment Contract]] (CPE) after [[2006 labour protests in France|large student demonstrations]] against it).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-03-31 |title=Jacques Chirac promulgue la loi sur le CPE, mais repousse son application |trans-title=Jacques Chirac enacts the CPE law, but postpones its application. |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2006/03/31/jacques-chirac-promulgue-la-loi-sur-le-cpe-mais-repousse-son-application_756840_3224.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730200103/https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2006/03/31/jacques-chirac-promulgue-la-loi-sur-le-cpe-mais-repousse-son-application_756840_3224.html |archive-date=30 July 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30 |work=Le Monde |language=fr}}</ref>

[[File:Visite de Jacques Chirac au stand des Ecrivains paysans au Parc Expositions de Paris (Salon de l'Agriculture) (1980s).jpg|thumb|Chirac (centre) during his second term as prime minister]]

One of his first acts concerning foreign policy was to call back [[Jacques Foccart]] (1913–1997), who had been de Gaulle's and his successors' leading counsellor for African matters, called by journalist [[Stephen Smith (journalist)|Stephen Smith]] the "father of all "networks" on the continent, at the time [in 1986] aged 72."<ref name="Smith">"Naufrage de la [[Françafrique]] – Le président a poursuivi une politique privilégiant les hommes forts au pouvoir.", [[Stephen Smith (journalist)|Stephen Smith]] in ''L'Histoire'' n°313, October 2006 (special issue on Chirac), p. 70 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Foccart, who had also co-founded the Gaullist [[Service d'Action Civique|SAC]] militia (dissolved by Mitterrand in 1982 after the [[Service d'Action Civique#The 1982 Auriol massacre and the dissolving of the SAC|Auriol massacre]]) along with [[Charles Pasqua]], and who was a key component of the {{lang|fr|[[Françafrique]]}} system, was again called to the [[Elysée Palace]] when Chirac won the 1995 presidential election. Furthermore, confronted by [[anti-colonialism|anti-colonialist movements]] in [[New Caledonia]], Prime Minister Chirac ordered a military intervention against the [[Ouvéa cave hostage taking|separatists in the Ouvéa cave]], leading to the deaths of 19 militants. He allegedly refused any alliance with [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]]'s [[National Rally|National Front]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/24/1019441263037.html |title=Chirac labels 'racist' Le Pen as threat to nation's soul |work=The Age |location=Australia |date=25 April 2002 |access-date=20 April 2010 |first=Harry |last=de Quetteville |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510024312/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/24/1019441263037.html |archive-date=10 May 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Crossing the desert: 1988–1995 ===
Chirac ran against Mitterrand for a second time in the [[1988 French presidential election|1988 election]]. He obtained 20 per cent of the vote in the first round but lost the second with only 46 per cent. He resigned from the cabinet and the right lost the [[1988 French legislative election|next legislative election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacques Chirac obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/26/jacques-chirac-obituary |website=The Guardian |access-date=24 March 2020 |language=en |date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=14 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214144946/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/26/jacques-chirac-obituary |url-status=live }}</ref>

For the first time, his leadership over the RPR was challenged. [[Charles Pasqua]] and [[Philippe Séguin]] criticised his abandonment of Gaullist doctrines. On the right, a new generation of politicians, the "renovation men", accused Chirac and Giscard of being responsible for the electoral defeats. In 1992, convinced a candidate could not become president whilst advocating anti-European policies, he called for a "yes" vote in the referendum on the [[Maastricht Treaty]], against the opinion of Pasqua, Séguin and a majority of the RPR voters, who chose to vote "no".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Appleton |first1=Andrew |title=Maastricht and the French Party System: Domestic Implications of the Treaty Referendum |journal=French Politics and Society |year=1992 |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=1–18 |jstor=42844330 |issn=0882-1267}}</ref>

While he still was mayor of Paris (since 1977),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clarity |first1=James F. |last2=Tagliabue |first2=John |title=Jacques Chirac, Who Led France Envisioning European Unity, Is Dead at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=24 March 2020 |date=26 September 2019 |archive-date=26 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926102008/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Chirac went to [[Abidjan]] ({{lang|fr|Côte d'Ivoire}}{{--)}} where he supported [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny|President Houphouët-Boigny]] (1960–1993), although the latter was being called a "thief" by the local population. Chirac then declared that [[multiparty democracy|multipartism]] was a "kind of luxury".<ref name="Smith"/>

Nevertheless, the right won the [[1993 French legislative election|1993 legislative election]]. Chirac announced that he did not want to come back as prime minister as his previous term had ended with his unsuccessful run for the presidency against Mitterrand who was still president at this point.

Chirac instead suggested the appointment of [[Edouard Balladur]], who had promised that he would not run for the presidency against Chirac in 1995. However, benefiting from positive polls, Balladur decided to be a presidential candidate, with the support of a majority of right-wing politicians. Balladur broke from Chirac along with a number of friends and allies, including Charles Pasqua, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], etc., who supported his candidacy. A small group of {{lang|fr|fidels}} would remain with Chirac, including [[Alain Juppé]] and [[Jean-Louis Debré]]. When Nicolas Sarkozy became president in 2007, Juppé was one of the few {{lang|fr|chiraquiens}} to serve in François Fillon's government.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rotella |first1=Sebastian |last2=Sicakyuz |first2=Achrene |title=Sarkozy's team is small in size, wide in scope |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-france19-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=24 March 2020 |date=19 May 2007 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324155235/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-france19-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Presidency (1995–2007) ==

=== First term: 1995–2002 ===

==== Juppé ministry ====
[[File:Clintonchirac.jpg|thumb|Chirac with US president [[Bill Clinton]] outside the [[Élysée Palace]], 1999]]

During the [[1995 French presidential election|1995 presidential campaign]], Chirac criticised the "sole thought" ({{lang|fr|[[pensée unique]]}}) of [[neoliberalism]] represented by his challenger on the right and promised to reduce the "social fracture", placing himself more to the centre and thus forcing Balladur to [[Political radicalism|radicalise]] himself. Ultimately, he obtained more votes than Balladur in the first round (20.8 per cent), and then defeated the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist]] candidate [[Lionel Jospin]] in the second round (52.6 per cent).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kraft |first1=Scott |title=French Presidential Race Neck and Neck : Election: Today's balloting pits Socialist Lionel Jospin against conservative Jacques Chirac, who appears to have a slight edge. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-07-mn-63518-story.html |access-date=September 9, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 7, 1995}}</ref>

Chirac was elected on a platform of tax cuts and job programmes, but his policies did little to ease the labour strikes during his first months in office. On the domestic front, neo-liberal economic austerity measures introduced by Chirac and his conservative prime minister [[Alain Juppé]], including budgetary cutbacks, proved highly unpopular. At about the same time, it became apparent that Juppé and others had obtained preferential conditions for public housing, as well as other perks. At the year's end, Chirac faced [[1995 strikes in France|major workers' strikes]] which turned, in November–December 1995, into a [[general strike]], one of the largest since May 1968. The demonstrations were largely pitted against Juppé's plan for pension reform, and ultimately led to his dismissal.

Shortly after taking office, Chirac{{spaced ndash}}undaunted by international protests by environmental groups{{spaced ndash}}insisted upon the resumption of [[France and weapons of mass destruction|nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll]] in [[French Polynesia]] in 1995, a few months before signing the [[Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acronym.org.uk/a09comp.htm |title=Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty |publisher=Acronym.org.uk |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725044325/http://www.acronym.org.uk/a09comp.htm |archive-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Reacting to criticism, Chirac said, "You only have to look back at 1935...There were people then who were against France arming itself, and look what happened." On 1 February 1996, Chirac announced that France had ended "once and for all" its nuclear testing and intended to accede to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Elected as President of the Republic, he refused to discuss the existence of French military bases in Africa, despite requests by the [[Ministry of the Armies (France)|Ministry of Defence]] and the [[Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]].<ref name="Smith" /> The French Army thus remained in Côte d'Ivoire as well as in [[Omar Bongo]]'s Gabon.
[[File:Vladimir Putin 2 July 2001-5.jpg|thumb|right|Chirac with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]], 2001]]
[[File:Chirac and Schroeder on the Neva.jpg|thumb|Chirac with German federal chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]], 2003]]

==== State responsibility for the roundup of Jews ====

Prior to 1995, the French government had maintained that the [[French Third Republic|French Republic]] had been dismantled when [[Philippe Pétain]] instituted a new French State during [[World War II]] and that the Republic had been re-established when the war was over. It was not for France, therefore, to apologise for the roundup of Jews for deportation that happened while the Republic had not existed and was carried out by a state, [[Vichy France]], which it did not recognise. President [[François Mitterrand]] had reiterated this position: "The Republic had nothing to do with this. I do not believe France is responsible," he said in September 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/17/world/chirac-affirms-france-s-guilt-in-fate-of-jews.html|title=Chirac Affirms France's Guilt in Fate of Jews|first=Marlise|last=Simons|date=17 July 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207075618/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/17/world/chirac-affirms-france-s-guilt-in-fate-of-jews.html|archive-date=7 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chirac was the first president of France to take responsibility for the deportation of Jews during the Vichy regime. In a speech made on 16 July 1995 at the site of the [[Vel' d'Hiv Roundup]], where 13,000 Jews had been held for deportation to concentration camps in July 1942, Chirac said, "France, on that day, committed the irreparable". Those responsible for the roundup were "4,500 policemen and gendarmes, French, under the authority of their leaders [who] obeyed the demands of the Nazis. ... the criminal folly of the occupiers was seconded by the French, by the French State".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35188755|title=France opens WW2 Vichy regime files|date=28 December 2015|publisher=BBC|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109073634/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35188755|archive-date=9 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/francais/interventions/discours_et_declarations/1995/juillet/allocution_de_m_jacques_chirac_president_de_la_republique_prononcee_lors_des_ceremonies_commemorant_la_grande_rafle_des_16_et_17_juillet_1942-paris.2503.html Allocution de M. Jacques CHIRAC Président de la République prononcée lors des cérémonies commémorant la grande rafle des 16 et 17 juillet 1942 (Paris)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413170546/http://elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/francais/interventions/discours_et_declarations/1995/juillet/allocution_de_m_jacques_chirac_president_de_la_republique_prononcee_lors_des_ceremonies_commemorant_la_grande_rafle_des_16_et_17_juillet_1942-paris.2503.html |date=13 April 2009 }}, Président de la république</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 1995 |title=Allocution de M. Jacques CHIRAC Président de la République prononcée lors des cérémonies commémorant la grande rafle des 16 et 17 juillet 1942 (Paris) |trans-title=Address by Mr. Jacques CHIRAC, President of the Republic, delivered during the ceremonies commemorating the great roundup of July 16 and 17, 1942 (Paris) |url=http://www.jacqueschirac-asso.fr/fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Allocution-Vel-dhiv.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724134623/http://www.jacqueschirac-asso.fr/fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Allocution-Vel-dhiv.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2014 |access-date=17 July 2014 |work=jacqueschirac-asso |language=fr}}</ref>

==== "Cohabitation" with Jospin ====
In 1997, Chirac dissolved parliament for [[1997 French legislative election|early legislative elections]] in a gamble designed to bolster support for his conservative economic program. But instead, it created an uproar, and his power was weakened by the subsequent backlash. The Socialist Party (PS), [[Plural Left|joined by other parties on the left]], soundly defeated Chirac's conservative allies, forcing Chirac into a new period of [[cohabitation (government)|cohabitation]] with Jospin as prime minister (1997–2002), which lasted five years.

Cohabitation significantly weakened the power of Chirac's presidency. The French president, by a [[constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]], only controls foreign and military policy— and even then, allocation of funding is under the control of Parliament and under the significant influence of the prime minister. Short of dissolving parliament and calling for new elections, the president was left with little power to influence public policy regarding crime, the economy, and public services. Chirac seized the occasion to periodically criticise Jospin's government.

His position was weakened by [[Corruption scandals in the Paris region|scandals about the financing of RPR by Paris municipality]]. In 2001, the left, represented by [[Bertrand Delanoë]] (PS), won a majority on the city council of the capital. [[Jean Tiberi]], Chirac's successor at the Paris city hall, was forced to resign after having been put under investigation in June 1999 on charges of {{lang|fr|[[influence peddling|trafic d'influences]]}} in the [[HLM]]s of Paris affairs (related to the illegal financing of the RPR). Tiberi was finally expelled from the [[Rally for the Republic]], Chirac's party, on 12 October 2000, declaring to the magazine {{lang|fr|[[Le Figaro]]}} on 18 November 2000: "Jacques Chirac is not my friend anymore".<ref>"Rien ne va plus entre Chirac et Tiberi", ''[[Le Figaro]]'', 18 November 2000 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

After the publication of the diaries of [[Jean-Claude Méry]] by {{lang|fr|[[Le Monde]]}} on 22 September 2000, in which Jean-Claude Méry, in charge of the RPR's financing, directly accused Chirac of organising the network, and of having been physically present on 5 October 1986, when Méry gave in cash 5 million [[Franc]]s, which came from companies who had benefited from state deals, to [[Michel Roussin]], personal secretary ({{lang|fr|directeur de cabinet}}{{--)}} of Chirac,<ref>[http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/acheter.cgi?offre=ARCHIVES&type_item=ART_ARCH_30J&objet_id=101715 "Un témoignage pour l'histoire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013195052/http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/acheter.cgi?offre=ARCHIVES&type_item=ART_ARCH_30J&objet_id=101715 |date=13 October 2007 }}, ''Le Monde'', 22 September 2000 {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref>[http://www.lemonde.fr/web/recherche_breve/1,13-0,37-101887,0.html La suite du testament de Jean-Claude Méry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013195156/http://www.lemonde.fr/web/recherche_breve/1,13-0,37-101887,0.html |date=13 October 2007 }}, ''Le Monde'', 23 September 2000 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Chirac refused to attend court in response to his summons by judge [[Eric Halphen]], and the highest echelons of the French justice system declared that he could not be inculpated while in office.

During his two terms, he increased the Elysee Palace's total budget by 105 per cent (to €90&nbsp;million, whereas 20 years before it was the equivalent of €43.7&nbsp;million). He doubled the number of presidential cars – to 61 cars and seven scooters in the Palace's garage. He hired 145 extra employees – the total number of people he employed simultaneously was 963.

==== Defence policy ====
As the Supreme Commander of the French armed forces, he reduced the military budget, as did his predecessor. At the end of his first term, it accounted for three per cent of GDP.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2034rank.html CIA – The World Factbook – Rank Order – Military expenditures – percent of GDP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613005240/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2034rank.html |date=13 June 2007 }}. Cia.gov. Retrieved 17 December 2011.</ref> In 1997 the aircraft carrier [[French aircraft carrier Clemenceau|''Clemenceau'']] was decommissioned after 37 years of service, with her sister ship [[French aircraft carrier Foch|''Foch'']] decommissioned in 2000 after 37 years of service, leaving the French Navy with no aircraft carrier until 2001, when [[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle|''Charles de Gaulle'']] was commissioned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netmarine.net/bat/porteavi/cdg/index.htm |title=Porte-avions Charles de Gaulle |publisher=Netmarine.net |access-date=20 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406023134/http://www.netmarine.net/bat/porteavi/cdg/index.htm |archive-date=6 April 2010  }}</ref> He also reduced expenditure on nuclear weapons{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} and the French nuclear arsenal was reduced to include 350 warheads, compared to the Russian nuclear arsenal of 16,000 warheads.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} He also published a plan to reduce the number of fighters the French military had by 30.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/contents_in_english/french_air_force/the_future/the_future |title=Archived copy |website=defense.gouv.fr |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922034047/http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/contents_in_english/french_air_force/the_future/the_future |archive-date=22 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After François Mitterrand left office in 1995, Chirac began a rapprochement with NATO by joining the [[NATO Military Committee|Military Committee]] and attempting to negotiate a return to the [[NATO Military Command Structure|integrated military command]], which failed after the French demand for parity with the United States went unmet. The possibility of a further attempt foundered after Chirac was forced into cohabitation with a Socialist-led cabinet between 1997 and 2002, then poor Franco-American relations after the French UN veto threat over Iraq in 2003 made transatlantic negotiations impossible.

==== Close call ====
On 25 July 2000, as Chirac and the first lady were returning from the [[26th G8 summit|G7 Summit]] in Okinawa, Japan, they were placed in a dangerous situation by [[Air France Flight 4590]] after they landed at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The first couple were in an Air France [[Boeing 747]] taxiing toward the terminal when the jet had to stop and wait for Flight 4590 to take off.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rose|first=David|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/13/davidrose.focus |title=Concorde: the unanswered questions |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201213044/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/13/davidrose.focus |archive-date=1 December 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The departing plane, an [[Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde]], ran over a strip of metal on takeoff puncturing its left fuel tank and sliced electrical wires near the left landing gear. The sequence of events ignited a large fire and caused the Concorde to veer left on its takeoff roll. As it reached takeoff speed and lifted off the ground, it came within 30 feet of hitting Chirac's 747. Photographs of Flight 4590 ablaze were taken by passenger Toshihiko Sato on Chirac's jetliner.

=== Second term: 2002–2007 ===
{{Main|Jacques Chirac's second term as President of France}}

[[File:25052006 lula chirac.jpg|thumb|Chirac greets the President of Brazil, [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]], and his wife [[Marisa Letícia]] during a ceremony at the [[Palácio da Alvorada]] in [[Brasília]], 2006.]]
At the age of 69, Chirac faced his fourth presidential campaign in 2002. He received 20% of the vote in the first ballot of the [[2002 French presidential election|presidential elections]] in April 2002. It had been expected that he would face incumbent prime minister [[Lionel Jospin]] (PS) in the second round of elections; instead, Chirac faced far-right politician [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] of the [[National Rally (France)|National Front]] (FN), who came in 200,000 votes ahead of Jospin. All parties other than the National Front (except for {{lang|fr|[[Lutte ouvrière]]|italic=no}}) called for opposing Le Pen, even if it meant voting for Chirac. The 14-day period between the two rounds of voting was marked by demonstrations against Le Pen and slogans such as "Vote for the crook, not for the fascist" or "Vote with a clothespin on your nose". Chirac won re-election by a landslide, with 82 per cent of the vote on the second ballot. However, Chirac became increasingly unpopular during his second term. According to a July 2005 poll,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aXp5XEjdZ3_k&refer=europe |title=Europe |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |date=2 June 2005 |access-date=20 April 2010 }}</ref> 37 per cent judged Chirac favourably and 63 per cent unfavourably. In 2006, ''[[The Economist]]'' wrote that Chirac "is the most unpopular occupant of the Elysée Palace in the fifth republic's history."<ref name="economistneeds">{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8080753|title=What France needs|access-date=5 August 2007|date=26 October 2006|newspaper=The Economist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013113135/http://economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8080753|archive-date=13 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Early term ====
As the left-wing Socialist Party was in thorough disarray following Jospin's defeat, Chirac reorganised politics on the [[right-wing|right]], establishing a new party – initially called the Union of the Presidential Majority, then the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP). The RPR had broken down; a number of members had formed [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]] breakaways. While the Giscardian liberals of the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF) had moved to the right,{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}<!--<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=8465 |title=More conservative infighting over links to French far right |access-date=19 April 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512001044/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=8465 |archive-date=12 May 2008 }} [[Associated Press]] via ''Turkish Daily News''. 15 August 1998</ref>--> the UMP won the [[2002 French legislative election|parliamentary elections]] that followed the presidential poll with ease.

During an official visit to [[Third Republic of Madagascar|Madagascar]] on 21 July 2005, Chirac described the repression of the 1947 [[Malagasy uprising]], which left between 80,000 and 90,000 dead, as "unacceptable".

Despite past opposition to state intervention, the Chirac government approved a €2.8&nbsp;billion aid package to troubled manufacturing giant [[Alstom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/08/alstom_1.php |author=Eric Pfanner |title=France's §&nbsp;2.8&nbsp;billion aid package unlikely to bring quick fix : Alstom bailout may be long haul |work=International Herald Tribune |date=8 August 2003 |access-date=20 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509043726/http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/08/alstom_1.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 }}</ref> In October 2004, Chirac signed a [[trade agreement]] with PRC president [[Hu Jintao]] where Alstom was given €1&nbsp;billion in contracts and promises of future investment in China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200410/10/eng20041010_159619.html |title=People's Daily Online – France's Alstom, China ink $1.3b contracts |work=People's Daily |date=10 October 2004 |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116163528/http://english.people.com.cn/200410/10/eng20041010_159619.html |archive-date=16 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Assassination attempt ====
On 14 July 2002, during [[Bastille Day]] celebrations, Chirac survived an assassination attempt by a lone gunman with a rifle hidden in a guitar case. The would-be assassin fired a shot toward the presidential [[motorcade]], before being overpowered by bystanders.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2127946.stm Chirac escapes lone gunman's bullet], BBC, 15 July 2002</ref> The gunman, [[Maxime Brunerie]], underwent psychiatric testing; the violent far-right group with which he was associated, {{lang|fr|[[Unité Radicale]]|italic=no}}, was thence administratively dissolved.

==== Foreign policy ====
[[File:Victory Day Parade 2005-26.jpg|thumb|Chirac with [[George W. Bush]], [[Gerhard Schröder]], [[Vladimir Putin]], [[Junichiro Koizumi]] and other state leaders in Moscow, 2005]]
[[File:José Manuel Barroso, President of the EC & Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic - 2005 (1).jpg|thumb|Chirac with President of the European Commission [[José Manuel Barroso]] in Paris, 8 December 2005]]
Along with [[Vladimir Putin]] (whom he called "a personal friend"),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2010/02/25/europes-bear-problem |title=Europe's bear problem |date=25 February 2010 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=8 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629205103/http://www.economist.com/node/15578042 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hu Jintao]], and [[Gerhard Schröder]], Chirac emerged as a leading voice against [[George W. Bush]] and [[Tony Blair]] in 2003 during the organisation and deployment of American and British forces participating in a [[Coalition of the willing|military coalition]] to [[Deposition (politics)|forcibly remove]] the government of [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] controlled by the [[Ba'ath Party]] under the leadership of [[Saddam Hussein]] that resulted in the 2003–2011 [[Iraq War]].

Despite British and American pressure, Chirac threatened to veto, at that given point, a resolution in the [[UN Security Council]] that would authorise the use of military force to rid [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction]], and rallied other governments to his position. "Iraq today does not represent an immediate threat that justifies an immediate war", Chirac said on 18 March 2003. Future prime minister [[Dominique de Villepin]] acquired much of his popularity for his speech against the war at the United Nations (UN).<ref>Stefano Recchia, "Did Chirac Say"'Non'"? Revisiting UN Diplomacy on Iraq, 2002-03." ''Political Science Quarterly'' 130.4 (2015): 625-654 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43828728 online].</ref>

After Togo's leader [[Gnassingbé Eyadéma]]'s death on 5 February 2005, Chirac gave him tribute and supported his son, [[Faure Gnassingbé]], who has since succeeded his father.<ref name="Smith" />

On 19 January 2006, Chirac said that France was prepared to launch a [[nuclear warfare|nuclear strike]] against any country that sponsors a [[List of terrorist incidents|terrorist attack]] against French interests. He said his country's [[Force de frappe|nuclear arsenal]] had been reconfigured to include the ability to make a tactical strike in retaliation for terrorism.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011903311.html Chirac: Nuclear Response to Terrorism Is Possible] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204084314/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011903311.html |date=4 December 2016 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 20 January 2006</ref>

Chirac criticised the [[2006 Lebanon War|Israeli offensive into Lebanon]] on 14 July 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=France Criticizes Israel Attack on Lebanon |date=14 July 2006 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071400746.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024182220/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071400746.html |archive-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Israeli Army Radio later reported that Chirac had secretly told Israeli prime minister [[Ehud Olmert]] that France would support an Israeli invasion of Syria and the overthrow of the government of President [[Bashar al-Assad]], promising to veto any moves against Israel in the United Nations or [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121878 |title=France Urged Israel to Invade Syria During War |date=18 March 2007 |access-date=5 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805123723/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121878 |archive-date=5 August 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Whereas the disagreement on Iraq had caused a rift between Paris and Washington, recent analysis suggests that both governments worked closely together on the Syria file to end the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, and that Chirac was a driver of this diplomatic cooperation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.institutmontaigne.org/blog/jacques-chirac-explorateur-du-monde-multipolaire|title=Jacques Chirac – explorateur du monde multipolaire|last=Duclos|first=Michel|date=1 October 2019|website=Institut Montaigne|language=fr|access-date=1 October 2019|archive-date=1 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001142422/https://www.institutmontaigne.org/blog/jacques-chirac-explorateur-du-monde-multipolaire|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Robert Kocharyan and Jacques Chirac in Yerevan, 2006.jpg|thumb|Chirac and Armenian president [[Robert Kocharyan]], 2006]]
In July 2006, the [[G8]] met to discuss international energy concerns. Despite the rising awareness of [[global warming]] issues, the G8 focused on "[[energy security]]" issues. Chirac continued{{when|date=August 2014}} to be the voice{{citation needed|reason=Declaring him to be "the" voice is POV without a source|date=August 2014}} within the G8 summit meetings to support international action to curb global warming and [[climate change]] concerns. Chirac warned that "humanity is dancing on a [[volcano]]" and called for serious action by the world's leading industrialised nations.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

After Chirac's death in 2019, the street leading to the [[Louvre Abu Dhabi]] was named Jacques Chirac Street in November 2019 in celebration of Chirac's efforts to bolster [[France–United Arab Emirates relations|links between France and the United Arab Emirates]] during his presidency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/street-named-in-honour-of-jacques-chirac-at-louvre-abu-dhabi-ceremony-1.936272|title=Street named in honour of Jacques Chirac at Louvre Abu Dhabi ceremony|newspaper=The National|date=11 November 2019|last=Dajani|first=Haneen|access-date=21 April 2020|archive-date=30 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830200654/https://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/street-named-in-honour-of-jacques-chirac-at-louvre-abu-dhabi-ceremony-1.936272|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chirac espoused a staunchly pro-Moroccan policy, and the already established pro-Moroccan French stances vis-à-vis the [[Western Sahara conflict]] were strengthened during his presidential tenure.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wPGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|page=154|title=Perspectives on Western Sahara: Myths, Nationalisms, and Geopolitics|location=Lanham, MD|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4422-2685-2|editor-first=Anouar|editor-last=Boukhars|editor-first2=Jacques|editor-last2=Roussellier|chapter=Diplomatic Struggle in Africa and Europe over the Western Sahara Conflict|first=Antonin|last=Tisseron|access-date=21 August 2021|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927095717/https://books.google.com/books?id=8wPGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Flight tax ====
Chirac requested the ''Landau-report'' (published in September 2004) and combined with the ''Report of the Technical Group on Innovative Financing Mechanisms'' formulated upon request by the Heads of State of Brazil, Chile, France and Spain (issued in December 2004), these documents present various opportunities for innovative financing mechanisms while equally stressing the advantages (stability and predictability) of tax-based models. The [[UNITAID]] project was born. Today the organisation's executive board is chaired by [[Marisol Touraine]].<ref>{{cite web|last=World Health Organisation|title=Unitaid: Governance|work=Unitaid |url=https://unitaid.org/about-us/governance/#en|access-date=22 April 2021|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422200505/https://unitaid.org/about-us/governance/#en|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 2005 referendum on TCE ====
{{Further|2005 French European Constitution referendum |Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe}}
On 29 May 2005, a [[referendum]] was held in France to decide whether the country should ratify the proposed treaty for a [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe|Constitution of the European Union]] (TCE). The result was a victory for the No campaign, with 55 per cent of voters rejecting the treaty on a turnout of 69 per cent, dealing a devastating blow to Chirac and the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP) party, and to part of the centre-left which had supported the TCE. Following the referendum defeat, Chirac replaced his prime minister [[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]] with Dominique de Villepin. In an address to the nation, Chirac declared that the new cabinet's top priority was to curb unemployment, which was consistently hovering above 10 per cent, calling for a "national mobilisation" to that effect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-01-fg-france1-story.html |title=Stung by Voters on EU, Chirac Replaces His Prime Minister |last1=Rotella |first1=Sebastian |author-link=Sebastian Rotella |last2=Sicakyuz |first2=Achrene |date=1 June 2005 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=10 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403220745/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/01/world/fg-france1 |archive-date=3 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== 2005 civil unrest and CPE protests ====
{{Further|2005 civil unrest in France |2006 labour protests in France}}
Following major [[2006 labour protests in France|student protests in spring 2006]], which followed [[2005 civil unrest in France|civil unrest]] in autumn 2005 after the death of two young boys in [[Clichy-sous-Bois]], one of the poorest communes in Paris' suburbs, Chirac retracted the proposed [[First Employment Contract]] (CPE) by "promulgating [it] without applying it", an unheard-of – and, some claim, illegal – move intended to appease the protesters while giving the appearance of not making a {{lang|fr|volte-face}} regarding the contract, and therefore to continue his support for his prime minister [[Dominique de Villepin]].{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

==== Retirement ====
In early September 2005, Chirac suffered an event that his doctors described as a "vascular incident". It was officially reported as a "[[minor stroke]]"<ref>{{cite news |last=Willsher |first=Kim |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1497612/Minor-stroke-puts-Chirac-in-hospital-but-he-hangs-on-to-reins-of-government.html |title=Minor stroke puts Chirac in hospital but he hangs on to reins of government |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=4 September 2005 |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204130336/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1497612/Minor-stroke-puts-Chirac-in-hospital-but-he-hangs-on-to-reins-of-government.html |archive-date=4 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> or a mild stroke (also known as a [[transient ischemic attack]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10722229.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104170739/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10722229.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 November 2012 |title=Rivals in open warfare after Chirac's stroke raises stakes in succession fight battle |work=The Belfast Telegraph  |date=6 September 2005 |access-date=20 April 2010}}</ref> He recovered and returned to his duties soon afterward.

In a pre-recorded television broadcast aired on 11 March 2007, he announced, in a widely predicted move, that he would not choose to seek a third term as president. (In 2000 the constitution was amended to reduce the length of the presidential term to five years, so his second term was shorter than his first.)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/frances-new-five-year-presidential-term/ |title=France's New Five-Year Presidential Term |first=Olivier |last=Duhamel |date=30 November 2001 |access-date=19 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420143222/https://www.brookings.edu/articles/frances-new-five-year-presidential-term/ |archive-date=20 April 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> "My whole life has been committed to serving France, and serving peace", Chirac said, adding that he would find new ways to serve France after leaving office. He did not explain the reasons for his decision.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/12/europe/EU-POL-France-Chiracs-Future.php France's Chirac says he will not run for re-election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320233225/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/12/europe/EU-POL-France-Chiracs-Future.php |date=20 March 2007 }} Associated Press, 11 March 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2007</ref> He did not, during the broadcast, endorse any of the candidates running for election, but did devote several minutes of his talk to a plea against extremist politics that was considered a thinly disguised invocation to voters not to vote for [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] and a recommendation to [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] not to orient his campaign so as to include themes traditionally associated with Le Pen.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101091.html Chirac Leaving Stage Admired and Scorned] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107221800/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101091.html |date=7 November 2017 }} by John Leicester, Associated Press, 11 March 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2007.</ref>
[[File:JacquesChiracDinard.JPG|thumb|right|Chirac in [[Saint-Tropez]], 2010]]

== Post-presidency and death ==
Shortly after leaving office, he launched the [[Fondation Chirac]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jyHbiQwT8A2VnasPh30A3G8kbt3w |title=Chirac launches foundation 'to awaken consciences' |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607120523/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jyHbiQwT8A2VnasPh30A3G8kbt3w |archive-date= 7 June 2013 }}</ref> in June 2008. Since then it has been striving for peace through five advocacy programmes: conflict prevention, access to water and sanitation, access to quality medicines and healthcare, access to land resources, and preservation of cultural diversity. It supports field projects that involve local people and provide concrete and innovative solutions. Chirac chaired the jury for the Prize for Conflict Prevention awarded every year by his foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fondationchirac.eu/en/the-fondation-chirac-prize-for-conflict-prevention/|title=Fondation Chirac " The Fondation Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention|date=24 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624073856/http://www.fondationchirac.eu/en/the-fondation-chirac-prize-for-conflict-prevention/|archive-date=24 June 2009}}</ref> As a former president of France, he was entitled to a lifetime pension<!-- Of how much? --> and personal security protection, and was an ''ex officio'' member for life of the [[Constitutional Council (France)|Constitutional Council]].<ref name="CNN Chirac found guilty">[http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-15/world/world_europe_france-chirac_1_chirac-francois-hollande-corruption-charges?_s=PM:EUROPE "Chirac found guilty on corruption charges"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216151758/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-15/world/world_europe_france-chirac_1_chirac-francois-hollande-corruption-charges?_s=PM:EUROPE |date=16 December 2011 }}, CNN, 15 December 2011.</ref> He sat for the first time on the council on 15 November 2007, six months after leaving the presidency. Immediately after Sarkozy's victory, Chirac moved into a {{convert|180|sqm|adj=on}} [[duplex (building)|duplex]] on the {{lang|fr|[[Quai Voltaire]]|italic=no}} in Paris lent to him by the family of former Lebanese prime minister [[Rafik Hariri]]. During the Didier Schuller affair, the latter accused Hariri of having participated in illegal funding of the [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]]'s political campaigns, but the judge closed the case without further investigations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chirac trouve un point de chute à Paris chez la famille Hariri |url=http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/politiques/250314.FR.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509090154/http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/politiques/250314.FR.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=www.liberation.fr |url-status=live }}</ref> In Volume 2 of his memoirs published in June 2011, Chirac mocked his successor [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] as "irritable, rash, impetuous, disloyal, ungrateful, and un-French".<ref name="FE">{{Cite news |date=2011-06-09 |title=France election 2012: Chirac mocks Sarkozy in memoirs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13710626 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101125627/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13710626 |archive-date=1 January 2018 |access-date=2025-05-23 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-06-08 |title='Impetuous, disloyal, and un-French': Chirac attempts coup de grace on |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/impetuous-disloyal-and-unfrench-chirac-attempts-coup-de-grace-on-sarkozy-2294940.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111124622/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/impetuous-disloyal-and-unfrench-chirac-attempts-coup-de-grace-on-sarkozy-2294940.html |archive-date=11 November 2012 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Chirac wrote that he considered firing Sarkozy previously, and conceded responsibility in allowing [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] to advance in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-06-09 |title=Jacques Chirac breaks four-year silence on Nicolas Sarkozy to criticise French president |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8564184/Jacques-Chirac-breaks-four-year-silence-on-Nicolas-Sarkozy-to-criticise-French-president.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225223634/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8564184/Jacques-Chirac-breaks-four-year-silence-on-Nicolas-Sarkozy-to-criticise-French-president.html |archive-date=25 December 2017 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> A poll conducted in 2010 suggested Chirac was the most admired political figure in France, while Sarkozy was 32nd.<ref name="FE" /> On 11 April 2008, Chirac's office announced that he had undergone successful surgery to fit a [[pacemaker]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-04-11|title=France's Chirac gets pacemaker|language=en-GB|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7343096.stm|access-date=2021-10-13|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027193221/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7343096.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chirac suffered from frail health and memory loss in later life. In February 2014 he was admitted to hospital because of pains related to [[gout]].<ref>BBC News, 24 17 February 2014</ref><ref>{{cite news |editor-last=Marszal |editor-first=Andrew |date=17 February 2014 |title=Jacques Chirac in hospital with 'acute gout' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10645012/Jacques-Chirac-hospitalised-with-acute-gout.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324093236/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10645012/Jacques-Chirac-hospitalised-with-acute-gout.html |archive-date=24 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 10 December 2015, Chirac was hospitalised in Paris for undisclosed reasons, although his state of health did not "give any cause for concern", he remained for about a week in [[Intensive Care Unit|ICU]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/10/europe/france-jacques-chirac-hospitalized/index.html|title=Former French President Jacques Chirac Hospitalized|publisher=CNN|access-date=11 December 2015|date=10 December 2015|author=Tim Hume|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211070108/http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/10/europe/france-jacques-chirac-hospitalized/index.html|archive-date=11 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> According to his son-in-law [[Frederic Salat-Baroux]], Chirac was again hospitalised in Paris with a [[lung infection]] on 18 September 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/18/world/former-french-president-jacques-chirac-hospitalized-lung-infection/|title=Former French President Jacques Chirac is hospitalized with lung infection|work=The Japan Times|access-date=18 September 2016|date=18 September 2016|agency=Agence France-Presse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918120631/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/18/world/former-french-president-jacques-chirac-hospitalized-lung-infection/#.V97Q9IX6w9A|archive-date=18 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Death and state funeral===
[[File:20191002 120336 14995 Grabstätte Jacques Chirac.jpg|thumb|Chirac's grave in Montparnasse Cemetery, October 2019]]
Chirac died at his home in the [[6th arrondissement of Paris]] on 26 September 2019, surrounded by his family.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html|title = Jacques Chirac, French President Who Championed European Identity, Is Dead at 86|work = [[The New York Times]]|date = 26 September 2019|access-date = 26 September 2019|last1 = Clarity|first1 = James F.|last2 = Tagliabue|first2 = John|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190926102008/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/obituaries/jacques-chirac-dead.html|archive-date = 26 September 2019|url-status = live}}</ref> A [[requiem mass]] was held at [[Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris|Saint-Sulpice]] on 30 September, celebrated by [[Michel Aupetit]], [[Archbishop of Paris]], and attended by representatives from about 175 countries, included 69 past and present heads of state, government and international organisations. Notable names included [[António Guterres]], [[Jean-Claude Juncker]], [[Jens Stoltenberg]], [[Vladimir Putin]], [[Sergio Mattarella]], [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]], [[Charles Michel]], [[Viktor Orbán]], [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], [[Saad Hariri]], [[Borut Pahor]], [[Salome Zourabichvili]], [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]], [[Jean Chrétien]], [[Vaira Vike-Freiberga]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[Hamid Karzai]], [[Dai Bingguo]]  plus many ministers.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

The day was declared a [[national day of mourning]] in France and a minute of silence was held nationwide at 15:00. Following the public ceremony, Chirac was buried at [[Montparnasse Cemetery]], with only close family in attendance. Andorra announced three days of national mourning.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://all-andorra.com/andorran-government-announces-three-day-national-mourning-over-jacques-chiracs-death/ | title=Andorran government announces three-day national mourning over Jacques Chirac's death |work=All Andorra | date=27 September 2019 }}</ref> Lebanon declared the day of the ex-president's funeral national day of mourning.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yalibnan.com/2019/09/28/pm-hariri-declares-day-of-mourning-for-chirac-friend-of-lebanon/ |title=PM Hariri declares day of mourning for Chirac 'friend of Lebanon' |publisher=Ya Libnan |date=2019-09-28 |access-date=2022-05-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/d/breaking-news/471840/lebanon-declares-monday-a-national-day-of-mourning/en | title=Lebanon declares Monday a national day of mourning for Chirac }}</ref>

== Popular culture ==
Chirac was a major supporter of the nation's film industry.<ref>Peter Baxter, "The cinema of Jacques Chirac: governing the French film industry, 1995–2007." ''Screen'' 56.3 (2015): 357-368 .</ref>

Because of Jacques Chirac's long public career, he was often parodied or caricatured: Young Jacques Chirac is the basis of a young, dashing bureaucrat character in the 1976 [[Asterix]] comic strip album ''[[Obelix and Co.]]'', proposing methods to quell Gallic unrest to elderly, old-style Roman politicians. Chirac was also featured in {{lang|fr|[[Le Bêbête Show]]}} as an overexcited, jumpy character.

===A major fixture of the Guignols===
Jacques Chirac was a favourite character of {{lang|fr|[[Les Guignols de l'Info]]}}, a satiric latex [[puppet show]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-medias/2009-03-13/interview-chirac-juge-sympathique-sa-marionnette-des-guignols/1253/0/325573|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213144729/http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-medias/2009-03-13/interview-chirac-juge-sympathique-sa-marionnette-des-guignols/1253/0/325573|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-12-13|title=INTERVIEW - Chirac juge "sympathique" sa marionnette des Guignols, actualité Médias 2.0 : Le Point|date=2009-12-13|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref> He was originally portrayed as a rather likeable, though overexcited, character; following the corruption allegations, however, he was depicted as a kind of dilettante and incompetent who pilfered public money and lied through his teeth. His character for a while developed a [[superhero]] alter ego, {{lang|fr|Super Menteur}} ('super liar') to get him out of embarrassing situations.

===Satirical songs===
In 1988, the band [[Parabellum (French band)|Parabellum]] lambasted Chirac in their song ''Anarchie en Chiraquie'' ("anarchy in Chirac-land"). In 1995, [[Zebda]] criticized Chirac's declarations on the "noise and smell" of immigrant families.<ref>FranceTVInfo, ''Quand Jacques Chirac était la cible de chansons contestataires et drôles, en sept vidéos '', https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/quand-jacques-chirac-etait-la-cible-de-chansons-contestataires-et-droles-en-six-videos_3633475.html</ref>

Because of his alleged improprieties, Chirac was lambasted in a song {{lang|fr|Chirac en prison}} ('Chirac in prison') by French punk band {{lang|fr|[[Les Wampas]]|italic=no}}, with a video clip made by the {{lang|fr|Guignols}}.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa5mw1|title = Chirac en prison - Vidéo Dailymotion|date = 13 August 2009|access-date = 7 June 2021|archive-date = 30 November 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211130175211/https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa5mw1|url-status = live}}</ref> Similarly, the band [[Sinsemilia]] lambasted Chirac in the song ''Bienvenue en Chiraquie'' ("Welcome to Chirac-land") as being the leader of a political mafia behaving outside of the laws applicable to normal citizenry. In June 2005, the band attracted media controversy when, on live television during midday news, it stopped early playing the gentle ''Tout le bonheur du monde'' and instead started playing ''Bienvenue en Chiraquie'' as a political gesture, before being cut early.<ref>[https://www.ina.fr/ina-eclaire-actu/video/i14024217/sinsemilia-tout-le-bonheur-du-monde-et-bienvenue-en-chiraquie Sinsemilia "Tout le bonheur du monde" et "Bienvenue en Chiraquie"], [[Institut national de l'audiovisuel]]</ref>

===Ig Nobel===

He was given the [[Ig Nobel prize]] for peace, for commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Hiroshima with atomic bomb tests in the Pacific (1996).

=== Portrayals in film ===

[[J. Grant Albrecht]] voices Chirac in the [[Oliver Stone]] film ''[[W. (film)|W.]]'' Marc Rioufol plays him in [[Richard Loncraine]]'s 2010 film ''[[The Special Relationship (film)|The Special Relationship]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/jacques-chirac-au-cinema-ce-sera-lui-20-05-2010-929108.php|title=Jacques Chirac au cinéma, ce sera lui|date=2010-05-20|website=Le Parisien|access-date=2020-01-10|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118081400/https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/jacques-chirac-au-cinema-ce-sera-lui-20-05-2010-929108.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Bernard Le Coq]] portrays Chirac in {{lang|fr|La Dernière Campagne}} and ''[[The Conquest (2011 film)|The Conquest]]'' by Xavier Durringer.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-04-16 |title=Bernard Le Coq dans la peau du retraité Chirac |trans-title=Bernard Le Coq playing the retired Chirac. |url=https://www.telerama.fr/television/bernard-le-coq-dans-la-peau-du-retraite-chirac,96109.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130212724/https://www.telerama.fr/television/bernard-le-coq-dans-la-peau-du-retraite-chirac,96109.php |archive-date=30 November 2019 |access-date=2020-01-10 |website=Télérama}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2019-09-30 |title=Jacques Chirac, cinématographique mais pas trop |trans-title=Jacques Chirac, cinematic but not overly so |url=http://www.slate.fr/story/182199/jacques-chirac-representation-cinema-arnaud-ducret-bernard-le-coq-gregori-derangere |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211095341/http://www.slate.fr/story/182199/jacques-chirac-representation-cinema-arnaud-ducret-bernard-le-coq-gregori-derangere |archive-date=11 December 2019 |access-date=2020-01-09 |website=Slate |language=fr}}</ref>

== Controversies ==
{{Criticism section|date=November 2024}}

=== Osirak controversy ===
At the invitation of [[Saddam Hussein]] (then [[vice-president of Iraq]], but [[power behind the throne|''de facto'' dictator]]), Chirac made an official visit to [[Baghdad]] in 1975. Hussein approved a deal granting French oil companies a number of privileges plus a 23-percent share of Iraqi oil.<ref name=h>Taheri, Amir, [http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-taheri110402.asp "The Chirac Doctrine: France's Iraq-war plan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814081424/http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-taheri110402.asp |date=14 August 2007 }}, ''National Review Online'', 4 November 2002</ref> As part of this deal, France sold Iraq the [[Osirak]] MTR [[nuclear reactor]], designed to test nuclear materials.

The [[Israeli Air Force]] alleged that the reactor's imminent commissioning was a threat to its security, and pre-emptively bombed the Osirak reactor on 7 June 1981, provoking considerable anger from French officials and the United Nations Security Council.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/7/newsid_3014000/3014623.stm "1981: Israel bombs Baghdad nuclear reactor"], ''On this day – 7 June'', BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2008</ref>

The Osirak deal became a controversy again in 2002–2003, when an international [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|military coalition]] led by the United States [[rationale for the Iraq War|invaded Iraq]] and forcibly removed Hussein's government from power. France led several other European countries in an effort to prevent the invasion. The Osirak deal was then used by parts of the American media to criticise the Chirac-led [[opposition to the Iraq War|opposition to starting a war in Iraq]],<ref>Joshua Glenn, [https://www.boston.com/news/packages/iraq/globe_stories/030203_chirac.htm Rebuilding Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511060916/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/iraq/globe_stories/030203_chirac.htm |date=11 May 2008 }}, ''[[Boston Globe]]'', 2 March 2003</ref> despite French involvement in the [[Gulf War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR629.pdf |title=Out of Area or Out of Reach? European Military Support for Operations in Southwest Asia |access-date=13 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428083327/http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR629.pdf |archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Conviction for corruption ===
Chirac has been named in several cases of alleged corruption that occurred during his term as mayor, some of which have led to [[felony]] convictions of some politicians and aides. However, a controversial judicial decision in 1999 granted Chirac immunity while he was president of France. He refused to testify on these matters, arguing that it would be incompatible with his presidential functions. Investigations concerning the running of Paris's city hall, the number of whose municipal employees increased by 25% from 1977 to 1995 (with 2,000 out of approximately 35,000 coming from the {{lang|fr|Corrèze|italic=no}} region where Chirac had held his seat as deputy), as well as a lack of financial transparency ({{lang|fr|marchés publics}}{{--)}} and the communal debt, were thwarted by the legal impossibility of questioning him as president.<ref name="Jean Guarrigues 2004 pp. 66">Jean Guarrigues, professor at the University of [[Orléans]] (and author of ''Les Scandales de la République. De Panama à l'Affaire Elf'', Robert Laffon, 2004), "La dérive des affaires" in ''[[L'Histoire]]'' n° 313, October 2006, pp. 66–71 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

The conditions of the [[privatisation]] of the Parisian water system acquired very cheaply by the {{lang|fr|[[Vivendi|Compagnie Générale des Eaux]]|italic=no}} and the {{lang|fr|[[Lyonnaise des Eaux]]|italic=no}}, then directed by [[Jérôme Monod]], a close friend of Chirac, were also criticised. Furthermore, the satirical newspaper {{lang|fr|[[Le Canard enchaîné]]}} revealed the astronomical "food expenses" paid by the Parisian municipality (€15&nbsp;million a year according to the {{lang|fr|Canard}}{{--)}}, expenses managed by [[Roger Romani]] (who allegedly destroyed all archives of the period 1978–93 during night raids in 1999–2000). Thousands of people were invited each year to receptions in the Paris city hall, while many political, media and artistic personalities were hosted in private flats owned by the city.<ref name="Jean Guarrigues 2004 pp. 66"/>

Chirac's immunity from prosecution ended in May 2007, when he left office as president. In November 2007 a preliminary charge of misuse of public funds was filed against him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/chirac-faces-investigation-into-misuse-of-public-cash-759026.html|title=Chirac faces investigation into 'misuse of public cash'|date=22 November 2007|work=The Independent|location=London|access-date=6 July 2008|first=John|last=Lichfield|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118161928/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/chirac-faces-investigation-into-misuse-of-public-cash-759026.html|archive-date=18 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Chirac is said to be the first former French head of state to be formally placed under investigation for a crime.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.capital.fr/Actualite/Default.asp?source=RE&numero=270226&Cat=GEN|title=Le dossier judiciaire de Jacques Chirac s'alourdit|date=22 February 2008|work=Capital|access-date=6 July 2008|language=fr}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On 30 October 2009, a judge ordered Chirac to stand trial on [[embezzlement]] charges, dating back to his time as mayor of Paris.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/europe/31chirac.html|title=Frances Chirac Ordered to Face Trial|date=30 October 2009|author=Alan Cowell|work=The New York Times|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512010120/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/europe/31chirac.html|archive-date=12 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 7 March 2011, he went on trial on charges of diverting public funds, accused of giving fictional city jobs to 28 activists from his political party while serving as the [[mayor of Paris]] (1977–95).<ref name="bbc trial opens">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12661446 |title=France: Jacques Chirac corruption trial opens |access-date=8 March 2011 |date=7 March 2011 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308011430/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12661446 |url-status=live |archive-date=8 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="tele">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8366721/Jacques-Chirac-trial-faces-further-delays.html |title=Jacques Chirac trial faces further delays |access-date=8 March 2011 |date=7 March 2011 |newspaper=The Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309053006/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8366721/Jacques-Chirac-trial-faces-further-delays.html |archive-date=9 March 2011 |url-status=live |first=Henry |last=Samuel}}</ref> Along with Chirac, nine others stood trial in two separate cases, one dealing with fictional jobs for 21 people and the other with jobs for the remaining seven.<ref name="bbc trial opens" /> The President of [[Union for a Popular Movement]], who later served as France's Minister of Foreign Affairs, [[Alain Juppé]], was sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison sentence for the same case in 2004.<ref name="BBC guilty 15 December">{{cite news|title=French ex-President Jacques Chirac guilty of corruption|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16194089|publisher=BBC|access-date=15 December 2011|date=15 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215120904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16194089|archive-date=15 December 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 15 December 2011, Chirac was found guilty and given a suspended sentence of two years.<ref name="BBC guilty 15 December" /> He was convicted of diverting public funds, abuse of trust and illegal conflict of interest. The suspended sentence meant he did not have to go to prison and took into account his age, health and status as a former head of state.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/15/jacques-chirac-guilty-corruption "Jacques Chirac found guilty of corruption"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208084016/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/15/jacques-chirac-guilty-corruption |date=8 February 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', 15 December 2011.</ref> He did not attend the trial, since medical doctors deemed that his neurological problems damaged his memory.<ref name="BBC guilty 15 December" /> His defence team decided not to appeal.<ref name="BBC guilty 15 December" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/world/europe/chirac-found-guilty-in-political-funding-case.html|title=Chirac Found Guilty in Political Funding Case|date=15 December 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 December 2011|first=Steven|last=Erlanger|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215173732/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/world/europe/chirac-found-guilty-in-political-funding-case.html|archive-date=15 December 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{See also|Corruption scandals in the Paris region}}

=== The Clearstream Affair ===
{{Further|Clearstream}}
During April and May 2006, Chirac's administration was beset by a crisis as his chosen prime minister, [[Dominique de Villepin]], was accused of asking [[Philippe Rondot]], a top-level French spy, for a secret investigation into Villepin's chief political rival, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], in 2004. This matter has been called the second [[Clearstream Affair]]. On 10 May 2006, following a Cabinet meeting, Chirac made a rare television appearance to try to protect Villepin from the scandal and to debunk allegations that Chirac himself had set up a Japanese bank account containing 300&nbsp;million francs in 1992 as Mayor of Paris.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2174662,00.html French farce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111193713/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2174662,00.html |date=11 January 2008 }}, ''[[The Times]]'', 11 May 2006</ref> Chirac said that "The Republic is not a dictatorship of rumours, a dictatorship of calumny."<ref>[https://archive.today/20060929232320/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2174839,00.html Caught in deep water: Chirac swims against a tide of scandal], ''The Times'', 11 May 2006</ref>

== Personal life ==
In 1956, Chirac married [[Bernadette Chirac|Bernadette Chodron de Courcel]], with whom he had two daughters: {{vanchor|Laurence}} (4 March 1958{{snd}}14 April 2016)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/laurence-chirac-dead-morte-daughter-jacques-chirac-french-president-dies-a6985406.html|title=The troubled daughter of a French President, hidden away for decades, has died|website=The Independent|access-date=18 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906165252/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/laurence-chirac-dead-morte-daughter-jacques-chirac-french-president-dies-a6985406.html|archive-date=6 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Claude Chirac|Claude]] (born 6 December 1962). Claude was a long-term [[public relations]] assistant and personal adviser to her father,<ref name=b>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/europe/europetoday/letters/020321_jlaurenson.shtml |title=BBC World Service: "Letter from Paris – John Laurenson on Claude Chirac's crucial but understated electoral role". |work=BBC News |date=21 March 2002 |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115122856/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/europe/europetoday/letters/020321_jlaurenson.shtml |archive-date=15 January 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> while Laurence, who suffered from [[anorexia nervosa]] in her youth, did not participate in her father's political activities.<ref name=c>Colin Randall, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1478438/Chiracs-wife-tells-of-anorexic-daughters-death-wish.html "Chirac's wife tells of anorexic daughter's death wish"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225231830/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1478438/Chiracs-wife-tells-of-anorexic-daughters-death-wish.html |date=25 December 2017 }}. ''[[Daily Telegraph]]''. 12 July 2004</ref> Chirac was the grandfather of Martin Rey-Chirac by the relationship of Claude with French [[judoka]] [[Thierry Rey]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dejevsky |first=Mary |date=April 15, 1996 |title=Name game spells double trouble for Chirac family |url=https://archive.org/details/Independent1996IrelandEnglish/Apr%2015%201996%2C%20Independent%2C%20%232961%2C%20Ireland%20%28en%29 |access-date=September 25, 2025 |work=[[The Independent]] |pages=10}}</ref> A former Vietnamese refugee, [[Anh Dao Traxel]], is a foster daughter of Jacques and Bernadette Chirac.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/troubled-chiracs-adopted-daughter-rides-to-his-rescue-q65qf6hsj3h|title=Troubled Chirac's adopted daughter rides to his rescue|last=Bremner|first=Charles|date=21 July 2005|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=20 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604013200/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article546174.ece|archive-date=4 June 2011|location=London}}</ref>

Chirac remained married, but had many other relationships.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9626060/French-leaders-featured-in-extramarital-affair-website-billboard-campaign.html French leaders featured in extramarital affair website billboard campaign] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628163032/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9626060/French-leaders-featured-in-extramarital-affair-website-billboard-campaign.html |date=28 June 2019 }}, 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2019.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/first-lady-tells-of-chiracs-infidelity-9146029.html |title=First lady tells of Chirac's infidelity |date=22 February 2014 |access-date=28 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628163033/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/first-lady-tells-of-chiracs-infidelity-9146029.html |archive-date=28 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/the-hollande-affair-and-the-end-of-presidential-privacy-in-france/283088/ |title=The Hollande Affair and the End of Presidential Privacy in France |website=[[The Atlantic]] |date=15 January 2014 |access-date=28 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628163028/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/the-hollande-affair-and-the-end-of-presidential-privacy-in-france/283088/ |archive-date=28 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chirac was a close friend of actor [[Gregory Peck]].{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

== Academic works ==
In 1954, Chirac presented ''The Development of the Port of New-Orleans'', a short geography/economic thesis to the {{lang|fr|[[Sciences Po|Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris]]}} ({{lang|fr|Sciences Po}}{{--}}), which he had entered three years before. The 182-page typewritten work, supervised by Professor Jean Chardonnet, is illustrated by photographs, sketches and diagrams.

== Political career ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
* President of the French Republic: 1995–2007. Re-elected in 2002.
* Member of the [[Constitutional Council (France)|Constitutional Council of France]]: Since 2007.

=== Governmental functions ===
* Prime minister: 1974–76 (Resignation) / 1986–88.
* Minister of Interior: March–May 1974.
* Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: 1972–74.
* Minister of Relation with Parliament: 1971–72.
* Secretary of State for Economy and Finance: 1968–71.
* Secretary of State for Social Affairs: 1967–68.

=== Electoral mandates ===
==== European Parliament ====
* Member of [[European Parliament]]: 1979–80 (Resignation). Elected in 1979.

==== National Assembly of France ====
* Elected in 1967, re-elected in 1968, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993: Member for [[Corrèze]]: March–April 1967 (became Secretary of State in April 1967), re-elected in 1968, 1973, but he remained a minister in 1976–1986 (became prime minister in 1986), 1988–95 (resigned to become President of the French Republic in 1995).

==== General Council ====
* President of the General Council of Corrèze: 1970–1979. Re-elected in 1973, and 1976.
* General councillor of Corrèze: 1968–88. Re-elected in 1970, 1976, and 1982.

==== Municipal Council ====
* Mayor of Paris: 1977–95 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1995). Reelected in 1983, 1989.
* Councillor of Paris: 1977–1995 (Resignation). Re-elected in 1983, 1989.
* Municipal councillor of [[Sainte-Féréole]]: 1965–77. Re-elected in 1971.

=== Political function ===
* President of the [[Rally for the Republic]]: 1976–94 (Resignation).

== Ministries ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}

=== First Chirac ministry ===
{{Further interlanguage link|First Chirac ministry|fr|Gouvernement Jacques Chirac (1)}}
(27 May 1974 – 25 August 1976)
* '''Jacques Chirac''' – Prime Minister
* [[Jean Sauvagnargues]] – Minister of Foreign Affairs
* {{ill|Jacques Soufflet|fr}} – Minister of Defence
* [[Michel Poniatowski]] – Minister of the Interior
* [[Jean-Pierre Fourcade]] – Minister of Economy and Finance
* [[Michel d'Ornano]] – Minister of Industry, Tourism, Posts, and Telecommunications
* [[Michel Durafour]] – Minister of Employment and Social Affairs
* [[Jean Lecanuet]] – Minister of Justice
* [[René Haby]] – Minister of National Education
* [[Simone Veil]] – Minister of Health
* [[Christian Bonnet]] – Minister of Agriculture
* {{ill|Norbert Ségard|fr}} – Minister of External Trade
* [[Robert Galley]] – Minister of Equipment
* {{ill|Vincent Ansquer|fr}} – Minister of Trade and Craft
* [[Pierre Abelin]] – Minister of Cooperation
* [[Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber]] – Minister of Reforms
* {{ill|André Jarrot|fr}} – Minister of Quality of Life

=== Second Chirac ministry ===
{{Further interlanguage link|Second Chirac ministry|fr|Gouvernement Jacques Chirac (2)}}
(20 March 1986 – 12 May 1988)
* '''Jacques Chirac''' – Prime Minister
* [[Jean-Bernard Raimond]] – Minister of Foreign Affairs
* André Giraud – Minister of Defence
* [[Charles Pasqua]] – Minister of the Interior
* [[Édouard Balladur]] – Minister of State, Minister of Economy, Finance, and Privatisation
* [[Alain Madelin]] – Minister of Industry, Tourism, Posts, and Telecommunications
* [[Philippe Séguin]] – Minister of Employment and Social Affairs
* [[Albin Chalandon]] – Minister of Justice
* [[René Monory]] – Minister of National Education
* [[François Léotard]] – Minister of Culture and Communications
* [[François Guillaume]] – Minister of Agriculture
* [[Bernard Pons]] – Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories
* [[Pierre Méhaignerie]] – Minister of Housing, Equipment, Regional Planning, and Transport
* [[André Rossinot]] – Minister for Relations with Parliament
* [[Michel Aurillac]] – Minister of Cooperation

== Honours ==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2022}}

===National honours===

{| class="wikitable"
! Ribbon !! Description !! Year
|-
| [[File:Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
| [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] & [[Grand Cross]] of the National [[Chivalric order|Order]] of the [[Legion of Honour]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Ordre national du Merite GC ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
| [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] & [[Grand Cross]] of the [[National Order of Merit (France)|National Order of Merit]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Ordre de l'Etoile Noire Chevalier ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || Knight of the [[Order of the Black Star]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Ordre du Merite agricole Commandeur 1999 ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || Commander of the [[Order of Agricultural Merit]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevalier ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || Knight of the {{lang|fr|[[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]|italic=no}}
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[Image:Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || [[Cross for Military Valour]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Croix du Combattant (1930 France) ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || [[Combatant's Cross]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Medaille de l'Aeronautique ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || [[Aeronautical Medal]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Medaille commemorative des Operations de securite et de Maintien de l'ordre ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || [[North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|}

=== Foreign honours ===
[[File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Jacques_Chirac_(Order_of_the_Seraphim).svg|thumb|upright|Jacques Chirac [[coat of arms]] as a [[knight]] of the Swedish [[Royal Order of the Seraphim|Order of the Seraphim]]]]
{| class="wikitable"

! Ribbon !! Country !! Honour !! Year
|-
| [[File:AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 1st Class BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Austria}} || Grand Star of the [[Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria]] 
| 1998
|-
| [[File:AZ Geyidar Aliyev Order rib.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]  || {{flag|Azerbaijan}} || Collar of the [[Heydar Aliyev Order]]
| 2007
|-
| [[File:BEN National Order of Dahomey - Grand Cross BAR.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Benin}} || Grand Cross of the [[National Order of Benin]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Décret N° 1996-41 du 08 février 1996 |url=https://sgg.gouv.bj/doc/decret-1996-41/ |website=Secrétariat général du Gouvernement du Bénin |access-date=5 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>
| 1996
|-
| [[File:BOL Order of Condor of the Andes - Grand Cross BAR.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Bolivia}} || Collar of the [[Order of the Condor of the Andes]]
| 1997
|-
| [[File:BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Brazil}} || Collar of the [[Order of the Southern Cross]] 
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:Officer National Order of Québec Undressed Ribbon.png|Officer National Order of Québec Undressed Ribbon|40px]] || {{flag|Canada}} || Officier of the [[National Order of Quebec]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Jacques Chirac (1932 – 2019) |url=https://www.ordre-national.gouv.qc.ca/membres/membre.asp?id=393 |website=Gouvernement du Québec |language=fr}}</ref>
| 1987
|-
| [[File:CZE Rad Bileho Lva 1 tridy BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Czech Republic}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Lion]] 
| 1997
|-
| [[File:EST Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana - 1st Class BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Estonia}} || Member 1st Class of the [[Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Teenetemärkide kavalerid |url=https://president.ee/et/teenetemargid/teenetemarkide-kavalerid |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Vabariigi Presidendi Kantselei |language=et}}</ref>
| 2001 
|-
| [[File:FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Finland}} || Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the White Rose of Finland]]<ref>{{cite web |date=9 October 2020 |title=Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat - Ritarikunnat |trans-title=Foreign recipients of the Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland - Orders |url=https://ritarikunnat.fi/ritarikunnat/palkitut/suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-ulkomaalaiset-saajat/ |access-date=5 March 2024 |language=fi}}</ref>
| 1999 
|-
| [[File:HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 1class BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Hungary}} || Grand Cross with Chain	of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]] 
| 2001
|-
| [[File:Cordone di gran Croce di Gran Cordone OMRI BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]  || {{flag|Italy}} || Knight Grand Cross with Collar [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]] 
| 1999
|-
| [[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Grand Knight with Star BAR.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Iceland}} || Grand Knight's Cross with Star of the [[Order of the Falcon]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orðuhafaskrá |url=https://www.forseti.is/f%C3%A1lkaor%C3%B0an/orduhafaskra/# |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Forseti Íslands |language=is}}</ref>
| 1983
|-
| [[File:JOR Al-Hussein ibn Ali Order BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Jordan}} || Grand Cordon with Collar of the [[Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali]]
| 2012
|-
| [[File:KUW Order of Mubarak the Great ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Kuwait}} || Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Mubarak the Great]]<ref>{{cite news |title=H.H. the Amir of Kuwait meets French President 30/11/2006 |url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticlePrintPage.aspx?id=1692423&language=en |access-date=5 March 2024 |work=www.kuna.net.kw |date=30 November 2006}}</ref>
| 2006
|-
| [[File:LVA Order of the Three Stars - Commander BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Latvia}} || Commander Grand Cross with Chain [[Order of the Three Stars]]
| 2006
|-
| [[File:LBN National Order of the Cedar - Grand Cordon BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Lebanon}} || Grand Cordon of the [[National Order of the Cedar]]
| 2012
|-
| [[File:Order of the Grand Conqueror (Libya).gif|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Libyan Arab Jamahiriya}} || First Class of the Order of the Grand Conqueror<ref name="arabic.people.com.cn">{{cite web|url=http://arabic.people.com.cn/31662/3012647.html|title=Kadhafi awards Chirac the Grand Conqueror Medal|access-date=23 March 2021|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526201420/http://arabic.people.com.cn/31662/3012647.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 2004
|-
| [[File:LTU Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Lithuania}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Vytautas the Great]]
| 1999
|-
| [[File:LTU Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas - Grand Cross BAR.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]  || {{flag|Lithuania}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas]]
| 2001
|-
| [[File:OPMM-co.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}} || Civilian Class of the [[Order pro Merito Melitensi]]
| 1996
|-
| [[File:MCO Order of Saint-Charles - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Monaco}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saint-Charles]]
| 1997
|-
|[[File:MD_Orden_of_Republicl_Rib.png|frameless|40x40px]]
|{{flag|Moldova}}
|Collar of the [[Order of the Republic (Moldova)|Order of the Republic]] 
|1998
|-
| [[File:Ordre de l'Ouissam Alaouite GC ribbon (Maroc).svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Morocco}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Ouissam Alaouite]]
| 1987
|-
| [[File:St Olavs Orden storkors stripe.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Norway}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Olav]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer |trans-title=Awards of orders and medals |url=https://www.kongehuset.no/tildelinger.html?tid=28028&sek=27995&q=chirac&type=&aarstall= |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Det norske kongehus |language=no}}</ref>
| 2000
|-
| [[File:Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe.svg|40px]] || {{flag|Norway}} || Grand Cross of the [[Royal Norwegian Order of Merit]]<ref name=":2" />
| 1988
|-
| [[File:Grand Collar of the Order of the State of Palestine ribbon.svg|40px]] || {{flag|Palestine}} || [[Grand Collar of the State of Palestine]]
| 1996
|-
| [[File:POL Order Zaslugi PRL kl1 BAR.png|40px|border|class=noviewer|1st class]] || {{flag|Poland}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]]
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
| [[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Poland}} || Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] 
| 2000
|-
| [[File:PRT Order of Christ - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Portugal}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/?idc=154&list=1| title=ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas }}</ref>
| 1975
|-
| [[File:PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Collar BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Portugal}} || Grand Collar of the [[Order of Prince Henry]]<ref name="auto"/>
| 2000
|-
| [[File:ROU Order of the Star of Romania 1999 GCross BAR.svg|ROU Order of the Star of Romania 1999 GCross BAR|40px]] || {{flag|Romania}} || Grand Collar of the [[Order of the Star of Romania]]
| 1998
|-
| [[File:Orden for Service I.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Russia}} || Member 1st Class of the [[Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"]] 
| 1997
|-
| [[File:RUS Medal In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg ribbon.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Russia}} || [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"]]
| 2003
|-
| [[File:RusStatePrize.jpg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Russia}} || [[State Prize of the Russian Federation]]
| 1997
|-
| [[File:SEN Order of the Lion - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Senegal}} || Grand Cross of the [[National Order of the Lion]]
| 2005
|-
| | [[File:Ord.GoodHope-ribbon.gif|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|South Africa}} || Grand Cross of the [[Order of Good Hope]] 
| 1996
|-
| | [[File:Grand Order of Mugunghwa (South Korea) - ribbon bar.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|South Korea}} || [[Grand Order of Mugunghwa]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Korea's Grand Order of Mugunghwa |url=https://koreanmedals.com/grand-order-of-mugunghwa/ |website=Korean Medals 한국 메달 |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref>
| 2000
|-
| [[File:Order of Charles III - Sash of Collar.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Spain}} || Collar of the [[Order of Charles III]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Real Decreto 377/2006, de 24 de marzo, por el que se concede el Collar de la Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III a su excelencia señor Jacques Chirac, Presidente de la República Francesa. |url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2006-5439 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Boletín Oficial del Estado |language=es}}</ref>
| 2006
|-
|  [[File:Order of Isabella the Catholic - Sash of Collar.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Spain}} || Collar of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999 |title=III. Otras disposiciones |url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1999/10/02/pdfs/A35462-35462.pdf |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Boletín Oficial del Estado |language=es}}</ref>
| 1999
|-
| [[File:Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Sweden}} || Knight of the [[Royal Order of the Seraphim]]
| 2000
|-
| [[File:Order of Independence Tunisia.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Tunisia|1959}} || [[Grand Cordon]] of the Order of Independence
| 1986
|-
| [[File:Order of the Republic (Tunisia) - ribbon bar.gif|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Tunisia}} || [[Grand Cordon]] of the [[Order of the Republic (Tunisia)|Order of the Republic]] of Tunisia 
| 2003
|-
| [[File:Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine.png|Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|Ukraine}} || First Class of the [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]]
| 1997
|-
| [[File:Ribbon bar of the Order of the Union (United Arab Emirates).svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} || Collar of the Order of Etihad (Order of the Federation)
| 1997
|-
| [[File:Order of the Bath (ribbon).svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]] || {{flag|United Kingdom}} || Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] 
| {{Year needed|date=October 2022}}
|-
|[[File:Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay - ribbon bar.gif|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
|{{flag|Uruguay}}
|[[Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Resolución N° 814/996|url=https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/resoluciones/814-1996|access-date=2020-11-27|website=impo.com.uy|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108022745/https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/resoluciones/814-1996|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1996
|-
| [[File:VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Collar BAR.svg|VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Collar BAR|40px]] || {{flag|Holy See}} || Knight with the Collar of the [[Order of Pope Pius IX]] 
| 1996
|}

===Other===
On 22 July 2003, Jacques Chirac was presented with the inaugural Kuala Lumpur World Peace Award by Malaysian Prime Minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]] at his office.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-07-23 |title=Chirac receives KL World Peace Award |url=https://www.klik.com.my/item/story/1409896/chirac-receives-kl-world-peace-award |website=New Straits Times}}</ref>

==Publications==
* {{lang|fr|Discours pour la France à l'heure du choix}}, Paris, ed. Stock, 1978
* {{lang|fr|La Lueur de l'espérance. Réflexion du soir pour le matin}}, Paris, ed. La Table ronde, 1978
* {{lang|fr|Oui à l'Europe}} (With Alain Berger), Paris, ed. Albatros, 1984
* {{lang|fr|Une ambition pour la France}}, Paris, ed. Albin Michel, 1988
* {{lang|fr|Une nouvelle France. Réflexions 1}}, Paris, ed. NiL, 1994
* {{lang|fr|La France pour tous}}, Paris, ed. NiL Éditions, 1995
* {{lang|fr|Mon combat pour la France, tome I}}, Paris, ed. Odile Jacob, 2006
* {{lang|fr|Le Développement du port de la Nouvelle-Orléans}}, Paris, ed. Presses universitaires du Nouveau Monde, 2007
* {{lang|fr|Mon combat pour la paix, tome II}}, Paris, ed. Odile Jacob, 2007
* {{lang|fr|Demain, il sera trop tard}}, Paris, ed. Desclée de Brouwer, 2008
* {{lang|fr|Mémoires&thinsp;: Tome I, Chaque pas doit être un but}}, Paris, ed. NiL, 2009
* {{lang|fr|Mémoires&thinsp;: Tome II, Le Temps présidentiel}}, Paris, ed. NiL Éditions, 2011

== See also ==
* [[1995 French presidential election]]
* [[Musée du Président Jacques Chirac]]
* [[Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Allport, Alan. ''Jacques Chirac'' (Infobase Publishing, 2007), short biography [https://books.google.com/books?id=AO-bjGJYi6sC&dq=+%22Jacques+Chirac%22&pg=PA5 excerpt]
* Bell, David et al. eds. ''Biographical Dictionary of French Political Leaders Since 1870'' (1990) pp 82–86.
* Bell, David. ''Presidential Power in Fifth Republic France'' (2000) pp 211–40.
* Bell, David S., Erwin C. Hargrove, and Kevin Theakston. "Skill in context: A comparison of politicians." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 29.3 (1999): 528–548; comparison of George Bush (US), John Major (UK), and Jacques Chirac.
* Chafer, Tony. "Chirac and '{{lang|fr|la Francafrique}}{{-'}}: No longer a family affair." ''Modern & Contemporary France'' 13.1 (2005): 7-23. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0963948052000341196 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235403/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0963948052000341196 |date=4 February 2021 }}
* Drake, Helen. "Jacques Chirac's balancing acts: The French right and Europe." ''South European Society & Politics'' 10.2 (2005): 297–313.
* Elgie, Robert. "{{lang|fr|La cohabitation de longue durée}}: studying the 1997–2002 experience." ''Modern & Contemporary France'' (2002) 10#3 pp 297–31, in English.
* Gaffney, John. "The Mainstream Right: Chirac and Balladur." in  ''French Presidentialism and the Election of 1995'' (Routledge, 2018) pp.&nbsp;99–115.
* Gaffney, John. "Protocol, Image, and Discourse in Political leadership Competition: the case of prime minister Lionel Jospin, 1997-2002." ''Modern & Contemporary France'' 10.3 (2002): 313–323.
* Gaffney, John, ed. ''The French presidential and legislative elections of 2002'' (Routledge, 2018).
* Knapp, Andrew. "Jacques Chirac: Surviving without Leading?." in David Bell and John Gaffney, eds. ''The presidents of the French Fifth Republic'' (Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2013). pp 159–180.
* Levy, Jonah, Alistair Cole, and Patrick Le Galès. "From Chirac to Sarkozy. A New France." ''Developments in French politics'' 4 (2008): 1-21.
* Maclean, Mairi. ''Economic Management and French Business: From de Gaulle to Chirac'' (Springer, 2002).
* Milzow, Katrin. ''National interests and European integration: Discourse and politics of Blair, Chirac and Schroeder'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).
* Nester, William R. "President Chirac." in Nester, ''De Gaulle's Legacy'' (Palgrave Macmillan 2014) pp.&nbsp;151–172.
* Wilsford, David, ed. ''Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp 63–70.

=== Primary sources ===
* Chirac, Jacques. ''My Life in Politics'' (2012).

=== In French ===
* Emmanuel Hecht, Thierry Vey, {{lang|fr|Chirac de A à Z, dictionnaire critique et impertinent}}, {{lang|fr|[[Éditions Albin Michel]]|italic=no}}, {{ISBN|2-226-07664-6}}
* Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, {{lang|fr|Le pouvoir et la vie, tome 3}}
* [[Frederic Lepage]], {{lang|fr|À Table avec Chirac}}
* {{cite book|last=Mayaffre|first=Damon| author-link=Damon Mayaffre |date=2004|title=Paroles de président. Jacques Chirac (1995-2003) et le discours présidentiel sous la Ve République|language=French|location=Paris|publisher= Honoré Champion|isbn= 2745311344|oclc= 800518999|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iApoAAAAMAAJ}} 
* Jacques Chirac, {{lang|fr|[[The development of the port of New-Orleans|La Nouvelle-Orléans et son port en 1954]]}}, {{lang|fr|[[Presses Universitaires du Nouveau Monde]]|italic=no}}, {{ISBN|1-931948-68-2}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* [http://www.lescitations.net/citations-jacques-chirac.html Some of Jacques Chirac's quotations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401165017/http://www.lescitations.net/citations-jacques-chirac.html |date=1 April 2023 }} {{in lang|fr}}
* {{C-SPAN|8065}}

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