Edouard Balladur, the former Prime Minister of France, has died at the age of 97. The announcement was made on Monday by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
A key figure of France's Fifth Republic, Balladur served as prime minister from 1993 to 1995 under socialist president François Mitterrand. His extensive career in public service also included serving as the secretary general of the Elysée under Georges Pompidou and acting as the negotiator of the Grenelle Agreements in 1968.
Balladur failed to win the presidential elections of 1995 against his ally-turned-rival, Jacques Chirac. Reflecting on the loss, he wrote, "Moved? No," adding that he would not have been any more so had he won.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Balladur as a "demanding, level-headed, and devoted public servant" who dedicated his life to the Fifth Republic.