When Will Jacques Chirac Resign As President Of France?

Jacques Chirac (b. 1932) will step down as President of France on 17 May 2007, after serving two terms in office. Chirac made his announcement on 11 March 2007, in a rather emotional personal address to the nation in which he also indicated that he would like to lead charitable organizations during his retirement.

Chirac first became France's president in 1995, after his centre-right party beat the rival Socialists. He was re-elected in 2002. Chirac's legacy is a rather mixed one, with some observers arguing that he was instrumental in preserving France's social system, helping sustain rural French life and charting an independent foreign policy for his country, such as during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Others, however, accuse Chirac of not having any firm ideological commitments, of not cracking down on corruption and of failing to reform the country's welfare system, which would have boosted the French economy.

Chirac's successor will be either Nicolas Sarkozy of the centre-right UMP, or the Socialist Segolene Royal, depending on who wins the presidential elections.