Roland Dumas, former President of the French Constitutional Council, died on Wednesday 3 July at the age of 101, Agence France-Presse (AFP) confirmed via his entourage, repeating a report in Le Figaro. This political figure distinguished himself as Minister for External Relations and Foreign Affairs during François Mitterrand’s second seven-year term

A close friend of Mitterrand, Dumas was renowned for his negotiating skills, his taste for the arts and his charm, which enabled him to play a major role in French politics in the second half of the 20th century, both in the courts and in the upper echelons of the Republic. However, his exceptional career was marred by the Elf scandal, which forced him to resign as President of the Constitutional Council.

“He left his mark on the history of the Fifth Republic”, said the French Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, while Jacques Attali, a former special adviser to François Mitterrand, stressed that “after seeing his father shot by the Nazis, Roland Dumas was a major player in Franco-German relations”.

“He was a character in a novel. As a lawyer, he embodied talent and humility: every meeting with him was a lesson”, added Marcel Ceccaldi, lawyer and courtroom companion of Roland Dumas, notably during the defence of former Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo.