Lionel Jospin was born into a Protestant and militant left-wing family. Her father, Robert Jospin, is a teacher and member of the socialist party SFIO and her mother is a midwife. After graduating from the Institute of Political Studies and the ENA, he joined the Quai d'Orsay as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
He joined the Socialist Party (PS) in 1971 and served as its first secretary for 7 years. He rose through the ranks and held the post of Minister of National Education from 1988 to 1992. After a failure in the second round of the presidential elections in 1995, he became Prime Minister in 1997 under the presidency of Jacques Chirac.
Defeated in the 2012 presidential elections by the FN candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, he retired from active political life but was appointed in July 2012 in charge of a commission on the renovation and ethics of public life.
1937 - ?
Status
Politician