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Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur has died at the age of 97, his family told the AFP news agency.
A private mass service is now planned for Balladur, who died in Paris on Monday, the family said, without giving further details.
Balladur served as PM from March 1993 to May 1995 under the presidency of Francois Mitterrand, in the so-called “second cohabitation” government.
French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to Balladur on social media following the news of his death, calling him a “demanding, level-headed, and devoted public servant” who had “dedicated his life to the Fifth Republic.”
“I honor his memory and extend my thoughts to his family and loved ones,” Macron wrote.
France’s current prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, described Balladur as a “statesman with a reformist spirit,” adding that he “will remain a role model for many men and women in his political circle.”
In a post on X, Marine Le Pen also shared her condolences to Balladur’s family and former colleagues.
“Setting aside the political disagreements we had with the man who served as Prime Minister from 1993 to 1995, today we should pay tribute to a statesman who left his mark on French public life, who consistently upheld his convictions and his vision of service to the Republic, and who always demonstrated respect for democratic debate,” she wrote.
Born in 1929 in Turkey to a family of Armenian origin, Balladur moved to Marseille in 1934. He eventually made his way to Paris, where he studied at the prestigious Sciences Po and Ecole Nationale d’Administration.
He later became a close adviser to Georges Pompidou, the former French president and prime minister, before running for president himself in 1995. He would go out in the first round of the elections after losing out to Lionel Jospin and Jacques Chirac, the latter of whom went on to claim victory.
Additional sources • AFP