Edouard Balladur

Édouard Balladur (born May 2, 1929) is a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France from 1993 to 1995, and had previously been Jacques Chirac's Finance Minister from 1986 to 1988. He ran unsuccessfully for president against fellow Gaullist Chirac and Socialist Lionel Jospin in 1995. Édouard Balladur was born in Izmir, Turkey. From 1968 to 1980, he was president of the French company of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, while occupying various other positions in ministerial staff. Following from the 1999 deadly accident in the tunnel, he was heard in 2005 by the court judging the case, about the security measures he had or had not taken. Balladur claimed that he always paid attention to security, but that it was difficult to agree on anything with the Italian company operating the Italian part of the tunnel. He is deputy from the 15th arrondissement of Paris, a conservative stronghold. Édouard Balladur is often caricatured as aloof, aristocratic and pretentious in media such as the Canard Enchaîné or shows such as Les Guignols de l'Info.