She has not missed anything in French political life since 1989 but has never been a candidate.
So far.
Claude Chirac, the daughter of Jacques and Bernadette Chirac, will run for the first time in the electoral suffrage next June.
Not just anywhere: in Corrèze, cradle of the political destinies of her parents, and not for any mandate: departmental councilor, one of the closest to the field.
Familiar with French politico-media life, the president of the Fondation Chirac announced her candidacy in accordance with the rules: 1- say nothing, 2- let the news leak, announced by Le Point in the morning, 3- give an interview to the local newspaper, La Montagne, to explain his desire and his choices.
"This is my family's land"
Claude Chirac, 58, will therefore be a candidate in the canton of Brive Center on June 20. It is in this territory that Bernadette Chirac won her last election, as deputy to the departmental councilor Lilith Pittman, reelected without difficulty in 2015. “This is the canton where my mother completed her departmental commitment. Starting mine here means a lot to me. It makes sense, ”she explains to La Montagne, and all the more so since the canton“ is also where the Firmin-Marbeau school is located, which my great-grandfather, Jacques's grandfather, ran ” . “This is my family's land”.
Before formalizing his candidacy, Claude Chirac explained that he spoke about it with his mother, whom she takes care of on a daily basis: “She knows that I am presenting myself and I think she is quite happy.
She gave me her blessing, which was very important to me, ”she said.
The daughter of the former President of the Republic said to have "thought a lot, weighed a lot the responsibility that this implied".
"And then I said to myself that it was now, that it was a great chance for me to add so much meaning to life," she added to AFP.
The candidate who claims to have "never had any card, in any political party", is on the list led by the outgoing president of the departmental council, Pascal Coste (LR).
She will be in tandem with Julien Bounie, municipal councilor in Brive.