France remembers former President Val茅ry Giscard d鈥橢staing
French politicians have been paying tribute to Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing who died from Covid-19 yesterday
Leading figures in French politics have paid tribute to Former President Val茅ry Giscard d鈥橢staing, who died yesterday (December 2) at the age of 94.
President Macron said in a statement: 鈥淭he direction that he gave France still guides our path today. Servant of the state, a politician for progress and freedom, his death will be mourned by the French nation.鈥�
President Macron will make a speech tonight at 20:00, following the announcement of Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing鈥檚 death.
Leaders salute a 鈥榤an of progress鈥�
Prime Minister Jean Castex said of the former president: 鈥淗e put in place a politics that was economic, social, and marked by volunteerism and solidarity.鈥�
He said the social reforms that Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing had overseen in his time as president were 鈥渄eeply relevant鈥� today, especially for women and young people.
Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing, nicknamed VGE, was president from 1974 鈥� 81. In these seven years he legalised divorce by mutual consent. He also decriminalised abortion and lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.
He was instrumental in the creation of two beloved museums in Paris - the Mus茅e d鈥橭rsay and the Cit茅 des Sciences 鈥� and gave the French capital the right to elect its own mayor.
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy said he was: 鈥淎 man who honoured France, a man for whom I feel admiration and with whom I always enjoyed debating.鈥�
Today a one-minute silence will be observed in his memory in the Senate and the Assembl茅e Nationale.
A modernising European
When Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing became president at the age of 48, he was the youngest person to hold the office aside from Louis Napol茅on-Bonaparte. He was the third president of the fifth republic and was viewed as a modernising leader, before his mandate was interrupted by economic crisis.
In 2001, he became the leader of the Convention pour l鈥橢urope, a movement to create a European constitution, which was eventually rejected by referendum.
One of his last public appearances was at the funeral of his prime minister and eventual successor as president, Jacques Chirac, in 2019.
Famous phrases
Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing was also known for uttering some famous phrases.
While running for office in 1974, his opponent Fran莽ois Mitterand claimed that his own proposals were a matter of common sense and of the heart, to which Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing famously replied that Mr Mitterand did not have 鈥渁 monopoly on hearts鈥� (le monopole du coeur). 鈥淚 have a heart just like yours, and it beats to a rhythm which is my own,鈥� he said.
When speaking at the Academie fran莽aise, aged 78, in 2004, he quipped: 鈥淎t my age, immortality is a safe haven.鈥�
And when beaten in the presidential elections of 1981, he recorded a goodbye message to be broadcast to French citizens. After his speech is over the camera starts to zoom out, at which point Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing says simply au revoir, before standing up from his chair and walking away, as the French national anthem begins to play.
Death from Covid
Mr Giscard d鈥橢staing had made multiple visits to hospital in the past few months for treatment for cardiac problems. In a statement his family said: 鈥淗is health deteriorated, and he died as a result of Covid-19.鈥�
His funeral will be a private ceremony, in accordance with his wishes.
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