Chirac, Jacques (1932–)

Born on November 29, 1932, Jacques Chirac's activity in French politics started in 1965 with a local mandate. His first job as assistant minister (secrétaire d'état) came in May 1967, and thereafter, he never stopped holding prominent political mandates or offices. Prime minister from 1974 to 1976, then from 1986 to 1988, he was elected president of the French [Page 102]Republic in 1995 and reelected in 2002. He also held the office of mayor of Paris from 1976 to 1995.

His communication skills are variable. Gifted with a strong direct personal charisma, Jacques Chirac is at the height of his communicating talent when personally canvassing or rallying in small French villages. His popularity among farmers has been particularly constant thanks to his legendary appearances in the Paris National Farmshow where he is able to walk for hours and to adapt from wine tasting to patting every cow or horse in sight.

His television skills have been uneven: It was not until October 27, 1985, that he appeared for the first time to clearly defeat a political opponent during a direct televised debate, when he triumphed over then-Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, who was supposed to be a first-rate media performer.

His 1995 winning electoral campaign was a model of strategic planning. Instead of carrying out a quick media-oriented campaign, Jacques Chirac, well advised by his own daughter, Claude Chirac, undertook a strenuous tour deep into France, and is said to have shaken hands with more than 2 million people. It led him to victory and gained him a grassroots popularity that his conservative opponent, Edouard Balladur, prime minister at the time, had considerably underestimated. A bold and well-devised slogan targeted at the left, “reducing the social breach,” was also quite helpful.

As president, Jacques Chirac changed his communications strategy by hiring none other than his predecessor's main communications consultant, Jacques Pilhan—a bold move by the latter, who agreed to advise the former opponent of his long-time client (François Mitterrand). Jacques Chirac's public appearances consequently became much less frequent and highly controlled. When Pilhan died, Claude Chirac officially took the job of the president's communications director and kept faithfully within the framework of the consultant's ideas.

In more recent years, Jacques Chirac's failure to reach younger generations became apparent at the 2005 European Referendum for the so-called European Constitution. During a televised rendezvous with some youngsters he failed to convince the selected youth representatives that they should vote in favor of the Constitution—a failure that was verified on the voting day. His televised appearances were then kept to more formal situations—National Day interviews with selected anchormen, New Year's Eve wishes, and so on.

Altogether, his political communication skills could qualify him as one of the last representatives of the old-fashioned politicians for whom a meeting and direct contact with the people is the best way of campaigning.