PARIS: France on Thursday bid farewell to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, with President Emmanuel Macron leading a national tribute to the influential left?wing statesman credited with major welfare reforms. Jospin, who introduced the 35-hour work week when he was head of government from 1997 to 2002, died on Sunday aged 88. The ceremony took place at the historic Les Invalides national monument, the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the presence of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, top left-wing politicians, and other high-profile guests.

A major figure on the socialist left, Jospin held leading roles in French politics: prime minister, education minister, and head of the Socialist Party. He ran unsuccessfully for…

NEWS ANALYSIS. A moral compass for all the leading figures of the left and the architect of sweeping welfare reforms, the former prime minister was praised by the Socialists.…

In his eulogy, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the former prime minister as a 'humble' politician who 'modernized the nation's economic, social and democratic life.'

"Un punto di riferimento nella nostra storia e nel nostro spirito'': il presidente francese, Emmanuel Macron, ha presieduto oggi una cerimonia di omaggio nazionale all'ex premier…

"Un punto di riferimento nella nostra storia e nel nostro spirito'': il presidente francese, Emmanuel Macron, ha presieduto oggi una cerimonia di omaggio nazionale all'ex premier…

PARIS: France on Thursday bid farewell to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, with President Emmanuel Macron leading a national tribute to the influential left?wing statesman…