Former French PM Balladur dies at 97

​Edouard Balladur, ​who was France's ‌prime minister ​from 1993 to 1995, has died ‌at 97, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on X. "Edouard Balladur is closely ‌associated with fifty years of the history ‌of the Fifth Republic. From his early days working alongside Georges Pompidou ⁠to ​his appointment ⁠as Prime Minister, he was a leading ⁠figure in our public life," Lecornu ​said on X

"Edouard Balladur was ⁠a statesman with a reformist spirit and ⁠will ​remain a role model for many men and women ⁠in his political family," he added. Balladur, a ⁠conservative, ⁠served as prime minister under Socialist President Francois Miterrand.