Former French President Valerie Giscard has died of complications associated with the Destiny Covid-19, his foundation said on Wednesday.
Giscard, who was 94 and served as France’s leader from 1974 to 1981, was recently hospitalized in Tours with respiratory problems. He recovered but was re-admitted in mid-November.
His family told AFP in a statement: “Kovid-19 made his health worse and he died.”
Foundation Valerie Giscard Distang said on Twitter: “Realizing his will, his funeral will be held in the strictest family closeness.”
He was known for leading the modernization of French society during his presidency, including allowing divorce by mutual consent and legalizing abortion, and was one of the architects of European solidarity.
President-elect in 1948, he came to power after many years of Gaulist rule and tried to liberalize the economy and social attitude. He lost the bid for his re-election, but to the Socialist Franą§ois Mitterrand.
In Europe, he established close ties with Helmut Schmidt, the former Chancellor of West Germany, and together they established the European monetary system, laying the foundations for the euro.
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