lit a candle 6d agoWhat they gave us
Whatever you thought of the politics, Édouard served, and served with conviction.
Their story
Édouard Balladur (French pronunciation: [edwaʁ baladyʁ]; 2 May 1929 – 31 August 2026) was a French politician who served as prime minister under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He had previously served as minister of finance from 1986 to 1988 during Jacques Chirac's government. He…
Édouard Balladur (French pronunciation: [edwaʁ baladyʁ]; 2 May 1929 – 31 August 2026) was a French politician who served as prime minister under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He had previously served as minister of finance from 1986 to 1988 during Jacques Chirac's government. He was considered to be center-right and a technocrat, and identified as a Gaullist throughout his political career.
After Chirac declined to return as prime minister, Mitterrand appointed Balladur as prime minister. His tenure as prime minister was largely defined by France's role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and in the Karachi affair. Considered to be a protégé of Chirac at first, Balladur unsuccessfully ran against him for president in the 1995 presidential election, coming in third place.
Balladur was elected to the National Assembly in 2002 before retiring from politics in 2007. During this time, he was considered to be a mentor to President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos
3Visit of Édouard Balladur, French Prime Minister, to the CEC. Brussels - EC/Breydel
by People Forever
Édouard Balladur and Jacques Delors at a press conference during the visit of the French Prime Minister to the CEC. Brussels - EC/Breydel
by People Forever
Visit of Édouard Balladur, former French Prime Minister, to Jacques Santer, President of the EC
by People Forever
Couldn't agree more.