 Jacques Chirac was released from hospital last night following a week of treatment for a "little vascular accident" that may have been a stroke but will certainly have repercussions for French politics for years to come. | Not that anyone would notice brain damage |
The 72-year-old French President had reportedly worked from his sick bed, but when he re-emerged from Val-de-Grace military hospital he faced a media clamour about the excessive secrecy surrounding his health and harsh questions about his political future.
Mr Chirac's infirmity dramatically escalated the intense battle within his centre-right UMP Party for the presidential race in 2007. While commentators pronounced the final end to the veteran politician's possible ambitions for a third term, his protege, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, and rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, engaged in a phony war in the press. The pair, who are said to detest each other, brandished their presidential credentials as their head of state remained in hospital. With a broad smile and accompanied by his wife Bernadette, Mr Chirac walked out of hospital unaided yesterday afternoon. He appeared well enough and either heavily tanned or made up as he declared with his characteristic grand hand gestures how proud he was of the French hospital system. | "Ok, wind him up, point him toward the car and hope for the best." |
But Mr Chirac appeared to be confused about where the TV cameras were before he announced he was "in good form" and going home to have lunch. He gave no explanation of his malady. | If Jacques can't find a camera for a photo op, nobody's home |
Mr Chirac refused to confirm whether he would be well enough to travel to New York next week for a UN summit, but he said his doctors had advised him to go easy for a week.
His health problems were revealed to French citizens the day after he entered hospital and in only the scantest of detail. The Elysee Palace said the admission followed headaches and slight vision problems, loss of motor skills and uncontrolled drooling. But the President's aides, led by his daughter Claude Chirac, drafted the sketchy hospital bulletins on his condition, leading to speculation that he was far sicker than suggested. | Kind of like the last world leader treated in a French military hospital. |
Le Monde said the palace was little better than the Kremlin at honestly informing voters of their leader's health. There is a fine French presidential tradition of keeping health complications notoriously secret. Francois Mitterrand's prostate cancer, which eventually killed him, was deliberately concealed from the public by his doctor and Georges Pompidou died of leukemia in office although the palace has insisted he had influenza.
| Got to watch out for that flu, killed a lot of Soviet leaders. |
Mr Chirac's spell in hospital took on a political life of its own when Mr de Villepin became defacto president. He gave regular vague updates on Mr Chirac's condition and took his place at a ministerial meeting. Conspiracy theorists suggested the Chirac camp was engineering a smooth handover of power to edge out UMP chief Mr Sarkozy. | Having decorators in, looking at new curtains, etc |
Mr Sarkozy seized the moment of Mr Chirac's hospitalisation and called for a "rupture" with the politics of the past. He gave a confident interview to Le Monde outlining his plans for a revitalised France.
But the popular Mr Sarkozy has been frustrated by Mr de Villepin's assumption of the presidential mantle. This week Mr de Villepin celebrated 100 days in office and despite initial scepticism voters appeared to have warmed to his hauteur and mild labour reforms. In a blow to Mr Sarkozy it was even openly suggested on French television by Chirac supporter and National Assembly president Jean-Louis Debre that Mr de Villepin would make a fine UMP candidate for the presidency. |