President Chirac announced in an emotional address to France last night that he was standing down from the presidency at the end of his 12 years and two terms in May.

“At the end of the term with which you entrusted me, the moment will have come for me to serve you in a different way. I will not seek your votes for a new term,” said Mr Chirac, 74, who has held high political office since 1967. His widely expected confirmation that he would not stand for a third term makes Mr Chirac the first President of France’s 48-year-old Fifth Republic to leave office by choice.

In his eight-minute address, Mr Chirac talked of the “passionate love” that he had felt for France and its people in a lifetime that he had devoted to his nation.

He spoke of France’s destiny as a model for the world, but included warnings about racism, the environment and globalisation.

“France is not a country like others,” said the President, who earned the admiration of his country by opposing the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. “France has special responsibilities, the legacy of its history and the universal values which it helped create. Against the risk of the clash of civilisations, against the rise of religious and other extremisms, France must defend tolerance, dialogue and respect,” he said.

However, Mr Chirac gave no endorsement to Nicolas Sarkozy, his would-be heir. The Interior Minister and political adversary is fighting tough competition for the Elysée Palace as head of the President’s neo-Gaullist movement, now called the Union for a Presidential Majority.

Mr Sarkozy, 52, still hopes the President will eventually endorse him. “Once he has spoken about his future I have no doubt that he will become engaged in this campaign” he said yesterday.

The one-time protégé of Mr Chirac is favourite to win the first-round vote on April 22, but opinions polls show that both he and Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate are vulnerable to François Bayrou, the centrist, who has surged ahead over the past month. An Ifop poll yesterday put Mr Bayrou, leader of the Union for French Democracy, level with Ms Royal at 23 per cent in first- round voting intentions, with Mr Sarkozy at 29 per cent.

The main candidates saluted Mr Chirac last night for the dignity of his resignation speech, with the exception of Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National, who called him the “worst president in French history”.

“Chirac was the symbol of political corruption in the eyes of the entire world,” Mr Le Pen said.

Mr Bayrou said that he took off his hat to Mr Chirac and his manner of leaving office, despite their differences. “I thought he was very good. The way he talked was moving and he reminded us of fundamental values — that our country is not like others.”

Ms Royal said that Mr Chirac’s talk was dignified, but that the French people now wanted change. “I feel very deeply that the French people are deeply angry and they are awaiting someone who will deliver,” she said.

A broad consensus holds that Mr Chirac excelled in foreign policy, asserting France’s voice in Europe and the world and especially in opposition to the United States over the Iraq invasion. Mr Bayrou, who served as Education Minister under Mr Chirac from 1995 to 1997, said that “on foreign policy he was an honourable voice, and a great voice at the moments when France needed one”.

Mr Chirac’s domestic record is receiving much more critical reviews, apart from admiration for his recognition of France’s role in abetting the Holocaust during the Second World War.

Laurent Fabius, a former Socialist Prime Minister, said: “His long presidency has lost France a lot of time. In relation to the major problems facing France and Europe, it was a presidency of wasted time.”

Marie-France Garaud, once Mr Chirac’s mentor and closest political adviser, also delivered a scathing verdict, saying that he had recently conducted himself as though he believed that he was the king of France or a Roman emperor.

Rise of a rival

1974 Sarkozy, 19, joins Chirac’s RPR party. Leads youth campaign supporting Chirac’s 1981 presidential bid

1983 Chirac hails Sarkozy’s win in mayoral election, reportedly telling him: “You’re made for politics”

1995 Sarkozy backs Prime Minister Édouard Balladur as presidential candidate. Victorious Chirac dismisses him as Budget Minister

2006 Chirac accused of conspiring with Dominique de Villepin, his chosen candidate, to smear Sarkozy in a bribery case. Allegations unproven

Sources: France24.com; Times archives

Times Recommends

• Michael Jackson: Not the final chapter
• Indian Army spends10m rupees on golf buggies
• Brüno toned down for 15 rating