Chirac undergoes pacemaker operation

Former French prime minister Jacques Chirac’s office says he has left a Paris hospital after having a heart pacemaker fitted.

Doctors have recommended that the 75-year-old eases back on his schedule for the next two to three weeks. As a result, he has put off a planned trip to China originally set to begin this week.

Chirac’s office said today he returned home after a two-night stay at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital. On Friday, it said the operation went “perfectly.”

Chirac was France’s president from 1995 to 2007, when he did not seek re-election and was succeeded by fellow conservative Nicolas Sarkozy.

Chirac was hospitalised for a week in 2005 for a vascular problem. Officials have never fully explained what was wrong.