Former French PM Juppe Hospitalized
Alain Juppe, the popular former French prime minister who is seen as a possible candidate to be the country's next president, left hospital Thursday after an unscheduled overnight stay.
Juppe, 68, was admitted to the Val-de-Grace hospital in Paris on Wednesday evening for a routine examination which led to him being kept in overnight and his diary being cleared for the rest of the week, an aide in Bordeaux told Agence France Presse.
"All the tests were perfect," the aide said following Juppe's departure from the hospital on Thursday.
With former president Nicolas Sarkozy embroiled in a series of scandals and his UMP party beset by squabbling amongst its leaders, current Bordeaux mayor Juppe has been tipped as a possible center-right candidate for the presidency in 2017.
As well as being prime minister from 1995-97, Juppe served two stints as France's foreign minister and one as defense minister. Polls consistently place him as one of France's best-liked and most respected politicians.
Analysts see his age -- he will be 69 in August - as the main barrier to a run for the presidency in 2017 and any hint of health problems will be unwelcome on that score.
Source: Agence France Presse
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