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About Jacques Chirac

French President Jacques Chirac Born on November 29, 1932, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Son of François Chirac, company director, and Marie-Louise Valette. Married on March 16, 1956, to Bernadette Chodron de Courcel. Two children: Laurence and Claude.

Education
Lycées Carnot and Louis-le-Grand, Paris

Degrees
Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Science), Paris, and Harvard University Summer School (USA).

Distinctions
Grand-Croix de la Légion d'Honneur
Grand-Croix de l'Ordre National du Mérite
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
Médaille de l'Aéronautique
Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, des Arts et des Lettres, de l'Étoile Noire, du Mérite Sportif, Grand Cross of the Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malte

Career
1957-1959 Ecole nationale d'Administration (ENA - National School of Administration)

1959 Auditor, State Audit Court (Cour des Comptes)

1962 Special assistant, Government Secretariat-General 1965-1993 Conseiller référendaire, State Audit Court

1965-1993 Conseiller référendaire à la Cour des Comptes

March 1965 - March 1977 Town councillor, Sainte-Féréole (Corréze)

March - May 1967 Deputy for the Corréze Department

1967-1968 State Secretary for Social Affairs, with responsibility for employment problems (in the government of G. Pompidou)

1968 Elected Departmental Councillor for the canton of Meymac (re-elected in 1970 and 1976)

1968-1971 State Secretary for the Economy and Finance (in the Pompidou, Couve de Murville and Chaban-Delmas governments)

June 1968 - August1968 Deputy (Union pour la Défense de la République - UDR) for the Corréze Department

Since 1969 Treasurer of the Claude Pompidou Foundation (which in particular provides help for the elderly and for handicapped children)

1970 - March 1979 President of the Corréze Departmental Council

1971-1972 Minister Delegate (Prime Minister's Office) with responsibility for relations with Parliament (Chaban-Delmas government)

1972-1973 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Messmer government)

March 4, 1973-May 5, 1973
Deputy for the Corréze Department (re-elected)

1973-1974 Ministre de l'Agriculture et du Développement rural (Gouvernement de Pierre Messmer)

1974 Minister of the Interior (Messmer government)

27 mai 1974 Appointed Prime Minister

December 1974 - June 1975 Secretary-General, Union des Démocrates pour la République (UDR)

June 1975 Honorary Secretary-General, UDR

August 25, 1976 Tendered resignation of his government

1976 Re-elected Deputy for Corréze Department (3rd constituency)

December 5, 1976 Elected President of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR - Rally for the Republic), successor party to the UDR

March 20, 1977 Elected Mayor of Paris

May 1, 1979 Elu président de l'Association Internationale des Maires et responsables des capitales et métropoles partiellement ou entièrement Francophones (AIMF)

10 juin 1979 Elected President of the Association internationale des maires et responsables des capitales et métropoles partiellement ou entièrement francophones (AIMF - International association of mayors and leaders of wholly or partially French-speaking capital cities and metropolitan areas)

June 10, 1979 Elected Member of the European Parliament (on the Defence of French Interests in Europe list); resigned seat in 1980

From 20 March 1986 to 10 May 1988 Prime minister ("Cohabitation" period)

May 7, 1995 Elected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 15,770,249 votes (52.64% of votes cast) versus 14,187,963 votes for Lionel Jospin

May 17, 1995 Investiture of the President of the Republic

May 5, 2002 Reelected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling)

May 16, 2002 Investiture of the President of the Republic

OEuvres
Thesis on the development of the Port of New Orleans (Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris), 1954

"Discours pour la France à l'heure du choix," (Address to France at the moment of decision), Editions Stock (1978)

"La lueur d'espérance: Réflexion du soir pour le matin" (The glimmer of hope:
reflections in the evening for the next morning), Editions La Table Ronde1978

"Une nouvelle France, Réflexions 1" (A new France, Reflections 1), Nil Editions 1994

"La France pour tous" (France for all), Nil Editions1995

Source: Présidence de la République française

France Map France

The French Republic is an original member of the G8. In 1975, France organized the first G8 Summit at Ramboulliet , France . They have hosted the G8 Summit a total of five times; Ramboulliet 1975, Versailles 1982, Paris 1989, Lyons 1996, and Evian 2003. France held the last G8 Summit in June 2003 and turned over the Presidency of the G8 to the United States on January 1, 2004 .

The leader of France is His Excellency Jacques Chirac. President Chirac is the longest serving leader of a G8 nation. He was originally elected in 1995.

Official Name: French Republic

Geography
Area: 551,670 sq. km. (220,668 sq. mi.); largest west European country, about four-fifths the size of Texas.
Cities: Capital--Paris. Other cities--Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nice, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux.
Terrain: Varied.
Climate: Temperate; similar to that of the eastern U.S.

People
Nationality: Adjective--French.
Population (June 2002 est.): 59.3 million.
Annual growth rate (2001): 0.37%.
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: French.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Literacy--99%. Health: Infant mortality rate--4.46/1,000.
Work force (25 million): Services--71%; industry and commerce--26%; agriculture--3%.

Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: September 28, 1958.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state); prime minister (head of government). Legislative--bicameral Parliament (577-member National Assembly, 319-member Senate). Judicial--Court of Cassation (civil and criminal law), Council of State (administrative court), Constitutional Council (constitutional law).
Subdivisions: 22 administrative regions containing 96 departments (metropolitan France). Four overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Reunion); five overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, and French Southern and Antarctic Territories); and two special status territories (Mayotte and St. Pierre and Miquelon).
Political parties: Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) [a new coalition of center-right parties, among which are Rally for the Republic (Gaullists/conservatives) and Liberal Democracy]; Union for French Democracy (a center-right conglomerate of smaller parties); Socialist Party; Communist Party; National Front; Greens; various minor parties. Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy
GDP (2001): $1.3 trillion.
Avg. annual growth rate (2001): 1.8%.
Per capita GDP: $22,500.
Agriculture: Products--grains (wheat, barley, corn); wines and spirits; dairy products; sugarbeets; oilseeds; meat and poultry; fruits and vegetables.
Industry: Types--aircraft, electronics, transportation, textiles, clothing, food processing, chemicals, machinery, steel.
Trade (est.): Exports (2001)--$349.49 billion: aircraft, automobile spare parts, pharmaceuticals, electronic components, wine, electricity. Imports (2001)--$345.95 billion: crude oil, automobiles and automobile spare parts, natural gas, pharmaceuticals, electronics, aircraft spare parts. Major trading partners--EU, U.S., Japan.