France to hold national day of mourning, final memorial service for Chirac

France is to hold a national day of mourning on Monday and a memorial service expected to be attended by dozens of world leaders.

Thousands of people on Sunday queued in Paris to bid a final farewell to France’s former president Jacques Chirac, fondly remembered as a charismatic giant of domestic and international politics despite a mixed legacy.

The national day of mourning in France Monday will see a minute of silence observed in all public institutions and schools.

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Visitors wait in line to view the casket of former French President Jacques Chirac as it lies in state in the Invalides in Paris, France. EPA-EFE/IAN LANGSDON

Members of the public pay tribute to late former French President Jacques Chirac in front of his coffin at the National Invalides Hotel. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Former French President Jacques Chirac’s daughter Claude Chirac, second right, her husband Frederic Salat-Baroux, right, and other relatives pay their respects at his coffin 29 September 2019 at the Invalides monument in Paris, France.. EPA-EFE/Kamil Zihnioglu / POOL

A general view shows huge French flags and a picture of late Jacques Chirac, at the National Invalides Hotel where Chirac’s coffin was displayed for a public tribute, following the death of former French President in Paris, France. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

OGC Nice and Lille OSC players pay tribute to late former French president Jacques Chirac prior to the French Ligue 1 soccer match, OGC Nice vs Lille OSC, at the Allianz Riviera stadium, in Nice, France. EPA-EFE/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

The coffin of Chirac will at 0900 GMT Monday leave the Invalides, under a military escort through the streets of Paris, before arriving at the Saint-Sulpice church for a final memorial service attended by President Emmanuel Macron.

The Elysée said some 30 heads of state and government are expected to be present, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Former leaders who worked closely with Chirac, notably including German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, will also be there.

Chirac’s successors Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande will attend, the Elysée said.

In a rare public appearance, the third president of France’s modern fifth republic Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 93, will also be present.

European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and former US President Bill Clinton will also attend.

A massive queue snaked round the Invalides complex to pay homage at Chirac’s coffin ahead of a national day of mourning on Monday and a memorial service expected to be attended by dozens of world leaders.

Chirac’s death on Thursday aged 86 prompted a flood of tributes to a man whose high-profile political career spanned three decades capped by 12 years as president from 1995-2007.

Via France 24