Coronavirus
Former French president dies from coronavirus
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who ruled France from 1974-1981, was hailed as an ambitious social reformer.
PARIS • France was in mourning yesterday for its former president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who died of Covid-19 at the age of 94.
Tributes poured in, hailing him as an ambitious social reformer and great European statesman.
Mr Giscard, who had been in hospital several times in the past few months for heart problems, died on Wednesday at the family estate in the Loire region. His family said in a statement that they were with him when he died.
He ruled for a single seven-year term from 1974-1981, during which France made great strides in nuclear power, high-speed train travel and legalised abortion.
Mr Giscard ensured that Paris was at the heart of Europe in a post-war alliance with Germany, and also played a key role in what would become the Group of Seven - a bloc of major world powers.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement: "His seven-year mandate transformed France. The direction he set for France still guides our way... his death has plunged the French nation into mourning."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post yesterday he was saddened by the news of Mr Giscard's passing. He added that the former president "played a huge role in the modernisation of French society and was a proponent of European integration - laying the groundwork for the euro single currency".
"MM Lee Kuan Yew was also his guest on several occasions when he visited France," PM Lee said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
