Former French Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin has died at the age of 88, broadcaster BFM reported on Monday, citing party sources. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Jospin served as head of government from 1997 to 2002 under centre-right President Jacques Chirac in a period of “cohabitation”, when France’s president and prime minister come from opposing political camps. His tenure was marked by a blend of progressive social reforms and economic pragmatism.

As prime minister, he reduced the standard working week to 35 hours, expanded access to healthcare and introduced civil unions granting rights to unmarried couples, both heterosexual and same-sex. At the same time, he pursued fiscal discipline and oversaw a wave of privatisations, encapsulated in his oft-quoted stance: “Yes to the market economy, no to a market society.”

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A reserved and intellectual figure, Jospin struggled to connect with voters despite presiding over a period of economic growth and falling unemployment. His political career came to an abrupt end in 2002, when he was eliminated in the first round of the presidential election, finishing behind far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. In a shock announcement that evening, he took full responsibility and withdrew from political life.

Born in 1937 into a politically engaged Protestant family, Jospin rose through the Socialist Party to become a close ally of President François Mitterrand and later a mentor to future leaders.

He is survived by his wife, philosopher Sylviane Agacinski, and his children.

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