Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing, born on February second, nineteen twenty-six, served as the President of France from nineteen seventy-four to nineteen eighty-one. Known simply as Giscard or VGE, he emerged from a background in finance, having held the position of Minister of Finance under prime ministers Jacques Chaban-Delmas and Pierre Messmer before winning the presidential election with fifty point eight percent of the vote against François Mitterrand.

During his presidency, Giscard d'Estaing was recognized for his progressive stance on social issues, advocating for reforms in divorce, contraception, and abortion. His administration was characterized by ambitious modernization efforts, including the launch of significant infrastructure projects such as the TGV and a strategic shift towards nuclear energy as France's primary power source. He also initiated the Grande Arche, Musée d'Orsay, Arab World Institute, and Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, which were later included in François Mitterrand's Grands Projets.

Despite his efforts to liberalize trade and modernize the country, Giscard d'Estaing faced challenges due to the economic downturn following the nineteen seventy-three energy crisis, which marked the end of the Trente Glorieuses. His popularity waned as he implemented austerity measures and allowed unemployment to rise to avoid deficits. In nineteen eighty-one, he was defeated by Mitterrand in a runoff election, receiving forty-eight point two percent of the vote.

After his presidency, Giscard d'Estaing continued to influence French politics as a member of the Constitutional Council and served as president of the Regional Council of Auvergne from nineteen eighty-six to two thousand four. He played a significant role in European integration, presiding over the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drafted the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. In two thousand three, he was elected to the Académie Française, taking the seat previously held by his friend, former Senegalese president Léopold Sédar Senghor. He passed away on December second, two thousand twenty, at the age of ninety-four, becoming the longest-lived president in French history.