Jospin, Lionel Robert, << zhaws PAN, LEE oh nehl raw BAIR >> (1937-…), served as prime minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin, a Socialist, formed an uneasy alliance with conservative president Jacques Chirac. Jospin retired from politics after running for president in 2002 and losing the election. As prime minister, he advocated a “humane” approach to economic policy. He worked to create jobs and to shorten the workweek.
Jospin was born on July 12, 1937, in Meudon, a suburb of Paris. He graduated in 1965 from the School of National Administration, a training ground for government officials. After graduation, he joined the foreign ministry and served there until 1970.
Jospin joined the Socialist Party in 1971 and was elected to France’s National Assembly in 1977. In 1981, then-President François Mitterrand named Jospin first secretary of the Socialist Party. See Mitterrand, François Maurice . Jospin served in that post until 1988, when he became minister of education. Several of his decisions displeased Mitterrand, however, and Jospin was replaced in a cabinet reorganization in 1992. Jospin also lost his seat in Parliament in 1992. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully for president. Despite his loss, he became leader of the Socialist Party in 1996.
