Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a Socialist who introduced the 35-hour work week, has died aged 88, his family said Monday.
Jospin -- who was head of government from 1997 to 2002 before losing to the far right in presidential polls -- died on Sunday, they told AFP.
He had said he had a "serious operation" and had returned home to rest in January, without providing details.
Jospin ran for president in 2002, casting himself as a clean pair of hands compared with his conservative rival, the corruption-tainted but chummy and charismatic Jacques Chirac.
But then far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen beat him to the runoff, forcing his voters to rally around Chirac in the second round.
© Agence France-Presse
