Jacques Chirac summary

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Jacques Chirac, (born Nov. 29, 1932, Paris, France), President of France (1995–2007). In 1967 he was elected to the National Assembly as a Gaullist. As prime minister (1974–76), he resigned over differences with Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and formed a neo-Gaullist group, Rally for the Republic. As mayor of Paris (1977–95), he continued to build a conservative political base. His campaign for the presidency in 1981 split the conservative vote and allowed socialist François Mitterrand to win. Mitterrand later appointed Chirac prime minister (1986–88) in an unusual power-sharing arrangement after the right swept to victory in parliamentary elections. Although defeated again in presidential elections in 1988, Chirac won the presidency on his third try, in 1995. He was reelected in 2002 in a landslide victory over Jean-Marie Le Pen.

president Summary

President, in government, the officer in whom the chief executive power of a nation is vested. The president of a republic is the head of state, but the actual power of the president varies from country to country; in the United States, Africa, and Latin America the presidential office is charged

prime minister Summary

Prime minister, the head of government in a country with a parliamentary or semipresidential political system. In such systems, the prime minister—literally the “first,” or most important, minister—must be able to command a continuous majority in the legislature (usually the lower house in a

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Paris Summary

Paris, city and capital of France, situated in the north-central part of the country. People were living on the site of the present-day city, located along the Seine River some 233 miles (375 km) upstream from the river’s mouth on the English Channel (La Manche), by about 7600 bce. The modern city