World
Édouard Balladur, former French Prime Minister, dies at 97
Édouard Balladur, former French Prime Minister, has died on August 31, 2026, in Paris, at the age of 97. His family announced the news to AFP and indicated that a mass would be held in strict family privacy. Head of government under François Mitterrand from March 1993 to May 1995, he left his mark on French political life through his 1995 presidential campaign against his longtime friend Jacques Chirac, and through his acquittal in 2021 in a campaign financing case. Emmanuel Macron and several political figures paid tribute to him.