Ex-President Giscard d'Estaing’s centrist vision impacted France and Europe

France is mourning former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who died Wednesday December 2, 2020, aged 94 after contacting Covid-19. 'Giscard', as he was known, was in office during only one term, from 1974 to 1981, but his political impact was big, as he legalized abortion, pushed for European integration and modernized French society. But he also had to cope with a scandal around Central-African diamonds that contributed to his defeat against François Mitterrand, in 1981.