Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who led France into the modern era and was a key architect of European integration in the early 1970s, has died at the age of 94 after contracting COVID-19.
Giscard, who had been in hospital several times in the last months for heart problems, died “surrounded by his family” at the family home in the Loire region.
“His state of health had worsened and he died as a consequence of COVID-19,” the family said in a statement sent to the AFP news agency, adding that his funeral would be strictly private according to his wishes.
Giscard, who was France’s leader from 1974 to 1981, became president at 48 – the youngest person elected in the 20th century – and embarked on a radical reform drive which included the legalisation of abortion, the liberalisation of divorce and lowering the voting age to 18.
In Europe, he helped drive moves towards a monetary union, in close cooperation with German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and the two men became good friends. Together they launched the European Monetary System (EMS), a precursor of today’s single currency, the euro.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum in France.
The head of President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party in parliament, Christophe Castaner, said: “His modern and resolutely progressive policies … will long mark his legacy.”
France “has lost a statesman who chose to open up to the world,” said former President Francois Hollande. He hailed a man who was “resolutely European” who helped strengthen ties between France and Germany.
Source: Aljazeera
