Édouard Balladur

Known for

Acting

Born

May 2, 1929

Birthplace

Izmir, Turkey

Died

August 31, 2026 (aged 97)

Biography

Édouard Balladur (2 May 1929 – 31 August 2026) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, coming in third place.

Balladur was born in Izmir, Turkey, to an ethnic Armenian family with five children and longstanding ties to France. His family emigrated to Marseille in the mid-to-late 1930s.

In 1957, Balladur married Marie-Josèphe Delacour, with whom he had four sons.

Balladur started his political career in 1964 as an advisor to Prime Minister Georges Pompidou. After Pompidou's election as President of France in 1969, Balladur was appo...