Former French Prime Minister and member of the French Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) Lionel Jospin poses during a photo session in Paris on May 16, 2018. JOEL SAGET / AFP
Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a Socialist who introduced the 35-hour work week and civil partnerships for gay couples, has died aged 88, his family said on Monday, February 23. Jospin, who was head of government from 1997 to 2002 before losing to the far right in presidential polls, died on Sunday, they told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He had said he had a "serious operation" and had returned home to rest in January, without providing details. Jospin ran for president in 2002, casting himself as a clean pair of hands compared with his conservative rival, the corruption-tainted but chummy and charismatic Jacques Chirac.
But then far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen beat him to the runoff, forcing his voters to rally around Chirac in the second round.
Le Monde with AFP
