Jacques Chirac In Hospital Due To Vascular Accident
French President Jacques Chirac, 72, has been hospitalized with what appears to be a minor stroke. According to Le Monde (link in French), he was admitted to the emergency room of Val-de-Grâce Military Hospital last evening, Friday September 2. Bloomberg quotes Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin stating

“He had a small vascular accident yesterday evening, which led to slight vision problems that should resolve itself in the coming days”

Chirac is expected to remain in the hospital for the upcoming week, but there has been no mention of any temporary handover of authority.

Also posted at Blogger News Network

Update, Sunday September 4: Last evening’s France2 newscast had a couple of interesting details:

• The French do not consider the status of their president’s health a right-to-know issue. (related article here)
• DeVillepin took the press along for his morning jog for the first time Saturday morning
• Chirac had been in the hospital over 12 hours before the information that he was hospitalized was made public on Saturday noon
• DeVillepin and Sarkozy had a cordial meal outdoors (in the hot sun but in full view of the press) before attending the ongoing UMP convention. It was so cordial they nearly got into a Barak/Arafat-like “After you. No, after YOU, I insist” shoving match at the doorway. Luckily it was only the two of them or they would have looked like these guys.

Today the media’s camping out at the hospital entrance.
Update 2 The Telegraph (UK) today: ‘Minor’ stroke puts Chirac in hospital but he hangs on to reins of government