Editing Jacques Chirac (section)

==== Early term ====
As the left-wing Socialist Party was in thorough disarray following Jospin's defeat, Chirac reorganised politics on the [[right-wing|right]], establishing a new party – initially called the Union of the Presidential Majority, then the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP). The RPR had broken down; a number of members had formed [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]] breakaways. While the Giscardian liberals of the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF) had moved to the right,{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}<!--<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=8465 |title=More conservative infighting over links to French far right |access-date=19 April 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512001044/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=8465 |archive-date=12 May 2008 }} [[Associated Press]] via ''Turkish Daily News''. 15 August 1998</ref>--> the UMP won the [[2002 French legislative election|parliamentary elections]] that followed the presidential poll with ease.

During an official visit to [[Third Republic of Madagascar|Madagascar]] on 21 July 2005, Chirac described the repression of the 1947 [[Malagasy uprising]], which left between 80,000 and 90,000 dead, as "unacceptable".

Despite past opposition to state intervention, the Chirac government approved a €2.8&nbsp;billion aid package to troubled manufacturing giant [[Alstom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/08/alstom_1.php |author=Eric Pfanner |title=France's §&nbsp;2.8&nbsp;billion aid package unlikely to bring quick fix : Alstom bailout may be long haul |work=International Herald Tribune |date=8 August 2003 |access-date=20 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509043726/http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/08/alstom_1.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 }}</ref> In October 2004, Chirac signed a [[trade agreement]] with PRC president [[Hu Jintao]] where Alstom was given €1&nbsp;billion in contracts and promises of future investment in China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200410/10/eng20041010_159619.html |title=People's Daily Online – France's Alstom, China ink $1.3b contracts |work=People's Daily |date=10 October 2004 |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116163528/http://english.people.com.cn/200410/10/eng20041010_159619.html |archive-date=16 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>