PARIS, March 23 (Reuters) – Lionel Jospin, Socialist prime minister of France from 1997 to 2002, has died.
Below are reactions and tributes from across the country’s political spectrum.
EMMANUEL MACRON
“Lionel Jospin is a towering figure in French politics: first secretary of the Socialist Party under François Mitterrand, minister for education, prime minister, and member of the Constitutional Council,” the French president wrote on social media platform X. “Through his rigour, his courage and his commitment to progress, he embodied a noble vision of the Republic.”
SEBASTIEN LECORNU
“He served France with steadfastness, high standards and a strong sense of responsibility,” France’s prime minister wrote on X. “His work, guided by a vision of social progress and Republican values, has left a lasting legacy and stands as a model of dedication.
“France has today lost a faithful public servant, whose name will forever be associated with the State.”
MARINE LE PEN
“Lionel Jospin was a political opponent whose policies we opposed when he was prime minister,” the far-right politician wrote on X. “Nevertheless, he was also a man of integrity on the left, the only one who had the courage, in the aftermath of the 2002 presidential election, to denounce the shameless lie of the fascist threat that was being frantically stirred up by both the right and the left between the two rounds.”
JORDAN BARDELLA
“He will be remembered as a leading figure of the Fifth Republic and, despite our differences, as an honest man of the left,” the leader of the far-right National Rally party wrote on X.
ELISABETH BORNE
“A former prime minister and a leading figure on the left, he left a lasting mark on French politics through his dedication, his rigour and his sense of public duty, qualities I was able to appreciate first-hand whilst working alongside him,” Borne, who led France’s government from 2022 to 2024, wrote on X.
JEAN-LUC MELENCHON
“He was a paragon of high standards and hard work,” the hard-left politician wrote on X. “He will be remembered as the man behind the 35-hour working week, the red-pink-green alliance, and his refusal to move the retirement age. And an intellectual presence in a world that was drifting off course. I served as his minister for vocational education, and his unwavering support in that role remains a source of deep gratitude in my memory.”
YAEL BRAUN-PIVET
“A statesman, MP, minister and prime minister, he transformed the daily lives of the French people: universal healthcare, gender parity, youth employment schemes, and civil partnerships,” the president of the National Assembly wrote on X. “He was respected, even beyond his own political camp, for his integrity and his sense of public duty: rigour and respect for institutions.”
OLIVIER FAURE
“This is a source of immense sadness,” wrote the leader of the Socialist Party on X. “Lionel Jospin embodied a left-wing movement that was demanding, principled and Republican. He had succeeded in leading the pluralist left to victory.
“At a time when our bearings are wavering, his career serves as a reminder that it is possible to govern without pandering to the prevailing trends.
“As prime minister, he introduced reforms that left a lasting mark on French society — concrete social advances, designed to improve the lives of the greatest number of people, without succumbing to the easy way out or to cynicism. He was, for me, an inspiration and a role model.
“A national tribute must be paid to him.”
SEGOLENE ROYAL
“Lionel Jospin has passed away, and with him a political ideal of rare integrity, guided by an unwavering moral compass,” Royal, the Socialist Party’s presidential candidate in 2007, wrote on X. “I can attest to this, as I had the honour of serving as a minister in his government. With him, a certain vision of politics is leaving us — one that respects debate and is committed to sound decision-making, without insults or fury. Let us remain faithful to his deeply Republican legacy.
“I would also like to express my gratitude for his clear and respectful support in 2007.”
BERNARD CAZENEUVE
“Lionel Jospin was a respected statesman,” Cazeneuve, who led France’s government from 2016 to 2017, wrote on X. “His integrity, his sense of responsibility and his loyalty to the values of socialism and the left made him a guiding light for all those who believed in social progress and understood the high standards required of the French government in all circumstances. As prime minister for five years, he helped to give the governing left an image of boldness and responsibility. He will remain, for all socialists and humanists, an example who shows the way forward.”
HUBERT VEDRINE
“Lionel Jospin was an extraordinary prime minister,” Jospin’s former foreign minister told the newspaper Le Monde. “He had a remarkable way of exercising authority, as he was both a great teacher and very precise. People took this to be excessive interventionism or nit-picking micromanagement, but in reality he was very respectful of the necessary authority of each of his ministers, whilst himself being very clear in his ability to articulate where he wanted to go and to explain his decisions.”
(Reporting by France newsroom; Editing by Olivier Holmey)
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