Bernadette Chirac, widow of former French president, dies at 93

Bernadette Chirac, widow of former French president Jacques Chirac, died on Friday evening at the age of 93, her daughter Claude Chirac told AFP on Saturday.

Born Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, Chirac “passed away peacefully in the evening, surrounded by her loved ones”, her daughter said.

Chirac turned 93 on May 18.

She was France's only first lady to have held political office in her own right as a general councillor for the Corrèze department in central France, where she served continuously from 1979 to 2015.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday paid tribute to Chirac, describing her as a "great lady with a big heart" who “left her mark on our history” and “changed so many lives with discretion and determination”.

He saluted her work as an elected official in Corrèze and in helping “millions of anonymous patients too, thanks to her deep and unwavering commitment” as head of the French hospitals foundation.

Bernadette Chirac was born on May 18, 1933, in Paris and grew up in a family of diplomats in the 16th arrondissement (district) of the capital. While studying at the prestigious Sciences Po university she met Jacques Chirac, whom she married in 1956.

Married for over 60 years, she remained largely in the shadow of the "great man", accompanying him through the various stages of his political career, including his victory in the 1995 presidential election on his third attempt at winning the Élysée Palace.

During her husband's first presidential term (1995-2002) she was initially relegated to the background. But she played a crucial role in her husband's re-election in 2002 and became very popular with the French public, notably as the head of the Pièces Jaunes (Yellow Coins) campaign to benefit hospitalised children.

She was also a favourite among right-wing politicians, who vied for her support in municipal and legislative elections.

With her classic, bourgeois appearance and political acumen, "Bernie" – as she was nicknamed – was considered far more conservative than her husband.

But Jacques Chirac said that she was the only one to warn him about the rise of National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen during the 2002 presidential election.

She also warned Chirac against the disastrous consequences of dissolving parliament in 1997, a move she attributed to the then secretary general of the Élysée Palace, Dominique de Villepin, whom she called "Nero" in private.

"She is the woman of my life, we have accomplished so much together!" Jacques Chirac wrote of her in his memoirs.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)