Several hundred people came to sign gold books in front of the vestibule of the Elysee Palace.

Hundreds of people came Thursday evening at the Elysee Palace to pay tribute to Jacques Chirac by signing the guest books in the vestibule of the Palace in front of a large photo of the former president, who will remain accessible until Sunday. .

PORTRAIT - Chirac, the nine lives of a political beast

In a grave silence, the visitors, French, foreigners, young and old, were queuing and whispering to enter the Court of Honor, enlightened on all sides. In single file, they climbed the steps to enter the vestibule of honor, guarded by two Republican guards and signed one after another the four pounds of gold.

From minute to minute, the line stretches out at the edge of the Palais de l 'Elysee: the French are numerous to want to come and sign the collection made available in the vestibule of the palace. @ @ TF1LeJT LCIpic.twitter.com / vdffdQlc4f

- Alison TASSIN (@AlisonTassin) September 26, 2019

Many took the time to write long praises of the missing president, evoking his human warmth and his international stature or sometimes personal memories of meetings with him, to the army at the Salon de l'Agriculture at Christmas Elysee.

"A great humanist man"

"Hi a citizen to a fervent defender of Franco-African relations," wrote Pierre Etienne, a 23-year-old engineer, who came with his friends. "Jacques Chirac has made and still makes France abroad," greeted another visitor, next to a sentence written in Japanese. "I pay tribute to a great humanist and loving, who knew better than anyone to embody France," commented another.

"I knew him during my military service in Algeria in 1957," said an officer who came with his decoration, Jean-Michel Casanova, 80, who wrote a whole page of tribute. "I was a young lieutenant and he taught me, rather than bored me on Sunday, to teach French to young Arabs, especially women and children." "My admiration and tenderness for the last of the great presidents," wrote another. "Thank you for the fight, thank you for this freedom, thank you for this bonhomie".

From Monday, this tribute device should be installed in the Invalides, explained the Elysee.