Jacques Chirac, admired and scorned during 12 years as president of France, leaves a legacy as mixed and ambiguous as the man himself, according to The Associated Press. The veteran leader's declaration Sunday that he will not seek a third term in presidential elections in six weeks was an acknowledgment that low popularity, age _ he is 74 _ and Nicolas Sarkozy, his conservative colleague-cum-rival as hugely ambitious as Chirac once was, have finally overtaken him. «My dear compatriots, at the close of the mandate you entrusted to me, the time has come for me to serve you in a new way,» Chirac said, promising to continue to work for what he called his «life's combats» _ justice, progress, peace and the grandeur of France.
