Valery Giscard d’Estaing, the former president of France, has died of coronavirus-related complications. He was 94.
Giscard had been hospitalized in Tours, France, with respiratory issues associated with COVID-19, and although he was briefly released from the hospital, he returned in mid-November. The former president died at a family home from complications with the virus, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
“His state of health had worsened and he died as a consequence of COVID-19,” his family told Agence France-Presse in a statement.
Giscard, known for his liberalization of social norms in France, was first elected president in 1974 at the age of 48, when he narrowly defeated socialist candidate Francois Mitterrand in the closest presidential race in French history. He served as France’s leader from his election until 1981, when he was defeated by Mitterrand.
During Giscard’s presidency, abortion was legalized and divorce was legally permitted by mutual consent. He also launched France’s first TGV high-speed train network. Giscard is also known for expanding the country’s nuclear energy capabilities.
Nicolas Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, lauded Giscard’s legacy after his death on Wednesday and said he “worked his whole life to reinforce relations between European nations.”
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 2.2 million people in France and killed nearly 53,000 people there since it first began.
