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Sunday 04 December 2011

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'Minor' stroke puts Chirac in hospital but he hangs on to reins of government

Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac: his official engagements have been cancelled 

Jacques Chirac, the president of France, is in hospital after suffering what is believed to have been a minor stroke.

The president was taken to the Val de Grace military hospital in Paris on Friday night after complaining of a problem with his vision. After carrying out tests, the president's doctors said that his sight had been affected by a "vascular incident".

A hospital spokesman said that Mr Chirac's condition was satisfactory and described the attack as "minor" - a point frequently repeated yesterday by officials to allay public fears about his health.

The president's office said that the 72-year-old leader, who is known to have a strong constitution, would remain in hospital all week.

Mr Chirac has vowed to be frank about the state of his health but French political analysts said that they were concerned about the sketchy details being released on his illness and condition.

His predecessor, François Mitterrand, was criticised for concealing the fact that he had been suffering from cancer for 14 years.

Mr Chirac's official engagements, including a meeting with the German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, have been cancelled but there was no mention of any handover of authority.

More than 80 per cent of strokes are caused by a blockage in an artery carrying blood to the brain.

A French cardiologist, Alain Ducardonnet, said that it was "vital" for Mr Chirac to undergo a full arterial check-up "to avoid a more serious incident".

He said: "This is without a doubt an alert in the brain region, in a small artery that feeds the retina. This could be a very localised problem or it could be the start of a relatively more serious incident."

Mr Ducardonnet said that Mr Chirac, who used to be a heavy smoker but gave up many years ago, would probably undergo MRI brain scans during his week in hospital.

Dominique de Villepin, the French prime minister, said that he had spoken to Mr Chirac on the telephone and was planning to visit him last night.

"Naturally we discussed the agenda of the coming days and in particular the offers of aid and assistance to our American friends faced with the terrible catastrophe that has struck the south of their country," Mr de Villepin said.

After a decade in power, Mr Chirac has almost two years to run in his second term of office. His standing in France was damaged earlier this year when he was defeated in the referendum over the European constitution.

It prompted a succession struggle in the president's conservative UMP party ahead of presidential elections in 2007.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the UMP leader who is expected to make a bid for the presidency, received a round of applause at the party's annual conference after he wished Mr Chirac a speedy recovery.

A UMP spokesman said: "Mr Chirac is a strong man and we are confident that this affliction is minor and that he will make a rapid recovery."

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