Jacques Chirac

Born: 29 November 1932 Birthplace: Paris, France Best Known As: President of France, 1995-present Jacques Chirac is the president of France, elected in 1995 after serving 18 years as the mayor of Paris. Chirac entered French national politics in the 1950s, inspired by Charles DeGaulle. He held several high level government posts throughout his career, as well as elected offices, but in recent years he has battled accusations of corruption and his popularity has waned. In 1997 Chirac caused an uproar when he dissolved the parliament, and his power was weakened by the subsequent backlash. As president he has weathered criticism for corruption scandals and for flip-flopping on matters of foreign policy. In the election of 2002 he opposed the controversial nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen and won re-election by a landslide. A satirical TV puppet show in France has a caricature of Chirac called "Supermenteur" ("Superliar").