Jean-Pierre Raffarin resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution.
12 Facts About Jean-Pierre Raffarin
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However, after Raffarin resigned, he said that his decision was not based on the outcome of the vote.
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Opinion polls following his resignation suggested that Jean-Pierre Raffarin was one of France's least popular Prime Ministers since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin was Vice President of the Senate from 2011 to 2014.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin studied law at Universite Paris-Pantheon-Assas and later graduated from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin participated in the formation of the Union for a Popular Movement.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin's governments were known for their internal quarrels with various ministers taking opposite positions in public.
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Jacques Chirac 8.
On 30 March 2004 Jean-Pierre Raffarin tendered the resignation of his government to president Jacques Chirac, who immediately re-appointed him prime minister, with the delegation to form a new government.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin's resignation was accepted by President Chirac on 30 May 2005, after the "no" victory at the European Constitution referendum, and he was replaced as Prime Minister by Dominique de Villepin.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin became one of the Vice presidents of the UMP in 2007.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin is Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur and Grand-Croix de l'ordre national du Merite.
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Jean-Pierre Raffarin was often teased for his optimistic aphorisms, known colloquially and ironically as raffarinades, the best known being La route est droite, mais la pente est forte.