Paris
President Jacques Chirac spent this week in a hospital, after suffering what his doctors called a “mini-stroke.” The doctors said the condition was not serious and that Chirac, 72, would fully recover. But politicians in Chirac’s own center-right party seem to be writing his epitaph already. Two of them are now campaigning openly to succeed him as president in 2007. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Chirac’s close aide, says he would offer “change in continuity,” while Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, Chirac’s main rival within the party, is calling for “a rupture with the past.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AIFeature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
-
George Foreman: The boxing champ who reinvented home grillsFeature He helped define boxing’s golden era
