Former French Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has died at the age of 88. He served as head of government from 1997 to 2002 and was a two-time presidential candidate. His political career was marked by a stunning first-round humiliation in the 2002 presidential election, where he was narrowly defeated by far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, leading Jospin to immediately announce his retirement from politics.
As prime minister, Jospin formed an alliance with Communists and Greens, enacting significant reforms such as the 35-hour working week, which remains in force today despite criticism from business circles. He also introduced the PACS civil ceremony for homosexual couples, a precursor to gay marriage, resisting pressure from conservative and religious groups. However, he angered many on the left by continuing the privatization policies initiated by the previous right-wing government, famously stating on television that "People cannot expect everything from the state and the government."
The 2002 presidential race saw a fragmented left-wing field, which diluted Jospin's support and resulted in him receiving just over 16% of the vote—a fraction behind Le Pen. This allowed the Front National leader to shock the nation by qualifying for the second round, where he was overwhelmingly defeated by incumbent President Jacques Chirac. Jospin, humbled by the outcome, declared his departure from public life.
Born in 1937 in the Paris suburb of Meudon, Jospin was the son of a prominent Socialist activist. Raised in Protestantism, he abandoned religion in his teens. In the 1960s, he was recruited by the Trotskyist Communist Internationalist Organisation (OCI), which focused on infiltrating members into top government and industrial positions—a fact he kept secret until the 1990s and only admitted in 2001.
In the early 1970s, Jospin joined the Socialist Party (PS), reorganized by François Mitterrand, who nurtured his career and appointed him party secretary in 1981. Under Mitterrand's second term, Jospin served as education minister but fell out of favor and was replaced in 1992. He later married philosopher Sylviane Agacinski, who survives him. Jospin was respected as an honest, albeit somewhat technocratic, left-wing leader, with consistently high poll ratings during his tenure. Tributes poured in on Monday following the announcement of his death, with French President Emmanuel Macron and former President François Hollande praising his integrity and contributions.
Source: www.bbc.com