Lionel Jospin

Lionel Robert Jospin (French: [ljɔnɛl ʁɔbɛʁ ʒɔspɛ̃]; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.

Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in the 1995 and 2002 elections. In 1995, he was narrowly defeated in the second round by Jacques Chirac. In 2002, he was eliminated in the first round after finishing behind both Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen, prompting him to announce his retirement from politics. In 2015, he was appointed to the Constitutional Council by National Assembly President Claude Bartolone.

Biography

Early life

Lionel Robert Jospin was born to a Protestant family in Meudon, Seine (nowadays Hauts-de-Seine), a suburb of Paris, and is the son of Mireille Dandieu Aliette and Robert Jospin. He attended the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly before studying at Sciences Po and the École nationale d'administration (ÉNA). He was active in the UNEF students' union, protesting against the war in Algeria (1954–1962). He completed his military service as an officer in charge of armoured training in Trier, Germany. Throughout his career his public image was, "dour, grumpy, rather cold, prone to temper and exasperation ('austere')."

Career

After his graduation from the ENA in 1965, Jospin entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as secretary of Foreign Affairs. He became in charge of economic cooperation there, and worked with Ernest-Antoine Seillière, future leader of the MEDEF employers' union.