AP News, January 17th, 2007
Like so many marriages, theirs is a study in contrasts. President Jacques Chirac is crazy about John Wayne flicks and sumo wrestling, while his wife Bernadette prefers books. He is known for his easygoing charm. But even after 50 years of marriage, she insists they call each other by the formal French "vous," never the familiar "tu."
And while 74-year-old Monsieur Chirac is famous for his political longevity, it now looks as if Madame Chirac's political career will outlast her husband's. As an elected regional councilor in central France, Mrs. Chirac's term lasts another three years, and she has made noises about possibly running for a seat in the Senate at some point.
Chirac is not expected to seek a third presidential term in elections this April and May, given his age, his abysmal poll ratings and a 2005 health scare _ probably a minor stroke _ that put him in the hospital for a week.
For now, he is not saying what his plans are and even his wife insists she does not know.
"The French must certainly understand that the president of the Republic does not share his reflections on that kind of subject with his family," Mrs. Chirac told TF1 television last week. She said he would not tell her until the night before his announcement.
It is a busy time for 73-year-old Mrs. Chirac. On Wednesday, she hosted queens and first ladies, including President Bush's wife Laura, at the Elysee Palace for a conference on missing and exploited children. She is in the midst of a fundraising drive for the foundation of French hospitals, which she chairs.
Mrs. Chirac is also an elected member of the general council of the Correze region, where the Chiracs have a private chateau. She has said she will stay in her post until her term expires in 2010, and she has raised the possibility of a Senate bid _ though she says the president did not approve.
In a November interview with Le Nouvel Observateur magazine, Mrs. Chirac said her husband told her: "'You're France's first lady, that's enough for you.'"
Mrs. Chirac has said that until a few years ago, she did not give interviews without her husband's permission. Chirac's team long relegated her to the background, concerned that her image _ formal and aristocratic _ would not appeal to young voters.
But during Chirac's tenure as president, she has been pushed to the forefront, gaining more political independence.
Chirac's team has realized they can "use her to counteract the president's drop in popularity," said Janine Mossuz-Lavau, research director at Paris' Center for Political Research. Mrs. Chirac's revelations about their relationship make the president seem more accessible.
And though the media often poke fun of Mrs. Chirac for being traditional and straight-laced, "she appeals to older people, stay-at-home moms, segments of the population that will respond to her unglamorous image," Mossuz-Lavau said.
The couple met as students at the prestigious Institut d'Etudes Politiques. Bernadette Chodron de Courcel was from a wealthy family; his was modest. Chirac was outgoing, popular and called people "tu" easily. She was reserved and had been schooled to call everyone "vous." Even in private, she has said, she still addresses Chirac as "vous."
Once, he borrowed her notes to write a report on a book he did not read _ Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America." Yet he received a much better grade than her, Mrs. Chirac said in a 2001 book of interviews, "Conversation."
She also recounted that when Chirac spent a summer in Boston, their future together was briefly threatened by his encounter with a young American woman who drove a convertible and called him "honey child."
The Chiracs married in 1956 and had two daughters _ Laurence, who has suffered from severe anorexia and depression since a bout of meningitis as a teenager, and Claude, who is now the brain behind Chirac's communications strategy.
The couple also informally adopted a young Vietnamese boat person, Anh Dao Traxel. She came to Paris in 1979 as a 20-year-old. The same year, Mrs. Chirac was elected to Correze's general council for the first time.
Rumors of infidelity have swirled around Chirac for years. In her book, Mrs. Chirac obliquely addressed the issue by acknowledging that at times she was very jealous, "and lemme tell you, there was good reason to be."
She also discussed why she stood by him _ for their children, and because of her upbringing _ and speculated on why he never left her.
"I have warned him several times," she said. "The day that Napoleon abandoned Josephine, he lost everything."
