born Nov. 29, 1932, Paris, France
President of France (from 1995).
In 1967 he was elected to the National Assembly as a Gaullist. As prime minister (1974–76), he resigned over differences with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and formed a neo-Gaullist group, Rally for the Republic . As mayor of Paris (1977–95), he continued to build a conservative political base. His campaign for the presidency in 1981 split the conservative vote and allowed socialist François Mitterrand to win. Mitterrand later appointed Chirac prime minister (1986–88) in an unusual power-sharing arrangement after the right swept to victory in parliamentary elections. Although defeated again in presidential elections in 1988, Chirac won the presidency on his third try, in 1995. He was reelected in 2002 in a landslide victory over Jean-Marie Le Pen .