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Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing died at the age of 94, the French presidential palace said Wednesday night.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was president from 1974 to 1981. He died of coronary heart disease, the family told the AFP news agency. Here since the funeral of politician Philippe Seguin in 2010. Photo: Eric Feferberg / pool via AP / NTB
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was a strong supporter of the EU and worked closely with former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. They became good friends and their strong ties also paved the way for a common currency in the eurozone. Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP / NTB
Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing died at the age of 94. Here she is with Princess Sonja and Crown Prince Harald, who visited France in February 1981. Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn / NTB
Giscard d’Estaing was president from 1974 to 1981. He died of coronary heart disease, the family told the AFP news agency.
– His health deteriorated and he died as a result of covid-19, says the family in a statement to AFP and adds that the funeral will be a private ceremony at his request.
The former president has been admitted to various cardiac wards in recent months, reports the Europe 1 radio station. He died surrounded by close relatives on his farm in central France.
His last public appearance was on September 30 last year, when he attended the funeral of another former president, Jacques Chirac, who had been his prime minister.
Young president
Giscard d’Estaing belonged to the far-right party Union pour la Démocratie Française (UDF). He became the youngest president in French history when, at 48, he defeated the socialist François Mitterrand in 1974, whom he lost seven years later.
His presidency marked a clear separation from the conservative government of Charles de Gaulle in postwar France and de Gaulle’s successor, Georges Pompidou.
In France, he is remembered as a president who carried out reforms to legalize abortion, liberalize divorces and lower the voting age to 18.
Honored by Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron praises Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and says his seven years in power changed the country.
– The direction you set for France is still a guideline. His death causes deep pain throughout France, Macron said in a statement. He describes his predecessor as a “politician for progress and freedom.”
Giscard d’Estaing was a strong supporter of the EU and worked closely with former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Their strong ties paved the way for a single eurozone currency.
After losing the 1981 presidential election to François Mitterrand, he waited for a long time to return to the Elysee Palace until he realized that he did not have the support he needed.
