Widow of late French President Chirac dies at 93
Kyiv • UNN
The widow of former French President Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 93, surrounded by her family. She was the only First Lady to hold her own political office.
Bernadette Chirac, the widow of former French President Jacques Chirac, known as the discreet companion of one of France's key post-war politicians, has died at the age of 93, their daughter told AFP on Saturday, UNN reports.
Details
She "died peacefully surrounded by her family on Friday evening," said Claude Chirac. Bernadette Chirac had just turned 93, she added.
She was considered to be in the shadow of her charismatic husband, who served as president from 1995 to 2007, during which time he was famously known for opposing the US invasion of Iraq. Jacques Chirac died in 2019.
But Bernadette Chirac was also the only French First Lady to hold a separate political office, serving as a general councillor in the central department of Corrèze, a position she held continuously from 1979 to 2015.