Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
| Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | |
|---|---|
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| 20th President of France | |
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In office 27 May 1974 – 21 May 1981 |
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| Prime Minister |
Jacques Chirac Raymond Barre |
| Preceded by | Alain Poher (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | François Mitterrand |
| Co-Prince of Andorra | |
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In office 27 May 1974 – 21 May 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Alain Poher (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | François Mitterrand |
| President of Union for French Democracy | |
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In office 30 June 1988 – 31 March 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Lecanuet |
| Succeeded by | François Léotard |
| President of the Regional Council of Auvergne | |
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In office 21 March 1986 – 2 April 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Maurice Pourchon |
| Succeeded by | Pierre-Joël Bonté |
| Minister of Finance | |
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In office 20 June 1969 – 27 May 1974 |
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| Prime Minister |
Jacques Chaban-Delmas Pierre Messmer |
| Preceded by | François-Xavier Ortoli |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Pierre Fourcade |
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In office 18 January 1962 – 8 January 1966 |
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| Prime Minister |
Michel Debré Georges Pompidou |
| Preceded by | Wilfrid Baumgartner |
| Succeeded by | Michel Debré |
| Mayor of Chamalières | |
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In office 15 September 1967 – 19 May 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre Chatrousse |
| Succeeded by | Claude Wolff |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing 2 February 1926 Koblenz, Germany |
| Political party |
National Centre of Independents and Peasants (Before 1962) Independent Republicans (1962–1977) Republican Party (1977–1995) Popular Party for French Democracy (1995–1997) Liberal Democracy (1997–1998) Union for French Democracy (1998–2007) Democratic Movement (2007–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Union for French Democracy (1978–1998) |
| Spouse(s) | Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes (m. 1952) |
| Children | Valérie-Anne Henri Louis Jacinte |
| Alma mater |
École Polytechnique École nationale d'administration |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (English pronunciation: /ˈvæləri ˈmɛəri ˈrɛneɪ ˈdʒɔərdʒ ˈdʒɪskɑrd ˈdɛsteɪn/; French pronunciation: [valeʁi ʒiskaʁ destɛ̃]; born 2 February 1926), also known as Giscard or VGE, is a French centrist politician who served as President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981 and who is now a member of the Constitutional Council of France.
His tenure as President was marked by a more liberal attitude on social issues – such as divorce, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion – and attempts to modernize the country and the office of the presidency, notably launching such far-reaching infrastructure projects as the high-speed TGV train and the turn towards reliance on nuclear power as France's main energy source.
However, his popularity suffered from the economic downturn that followed the 1973 energy crisis, marking the end of the "thirty glorious years" after World War II. Giscard faced political opposition from both sides of the spectrum: from the newly unified left of François Mitterrand, and from a rising Jacques Chirac, who resurrected gaullism on a right-wing opposition line. In 1981, despite a high approval rating, he missed out on re-election in a runoff against Mitterrand.
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