Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac was elected as the President of France in 1995 after serving as the Mayor of Paris for 18 years. Encouraged by Charles de Gaulle, Chirac entered French politics in the 1950s. Throughout his entire career, he held various senior government positions, including two prime ministers from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988. In 1995, he ran as a conservative candidate and successfully succeeded Fran \u00e7 ois Mitterrand as president. In 1997, Chirac caused a commotion due to the dissolution of parliament, and a series of opposition activities subsequently weakened his power. However, in the 2002 general election, he ran against the controversial nationalist Jean Marie Le Pen and easily won re-election. As the President, he has been criticized for his inaction on domestic policies, wavering on foreign policy issues, and political scandals involving fraud and corruption. In 2003, his popularity soared domestically due to his strong opposition to George Bush's decision to invade Iraq. However, the public was deeply dissatisfied with his domestic policies, which ultimately led to negative consequences. By 2006, his supporters had significantly decreased. In March 2007, Chirac announced that he would not seek a third term.