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Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing has died of complications related to Covid-19, his foundation reported on Wednesday.
Giscard, who was 94 years old and served as the leader of France from 1974 to 1981, had recently been hospitalized in Tours with respiratory problems. He recovered but was readmitted in mid-November.
“His health had worsened and he died as a result of Covid-19,” his family said in a statement to AFP.
The Valery Giscard d’Estaing Foundation said on Twitter that: “In accordance with his wishes, his funeral will take place in the strictest family privacy.”
He was known for leading the modernization of French society during his presidency, including allowing divorce by mutual consent and legalizing abortion, and was one of the architects of European integration.
Elected president at age 48, he came to power after years of Gaullist rule and sought to liberalize the economy and social attitudes. However, he lost his re-election to the socialist François Mitterrand.
In Europe, he forged a close relationship with former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, and together they laid the foundations for the single euro currency, establishing the European Monetary System.
More details soon …
