It was 7:09 p.m. on Saturday May 1st, 1993, when the news that would shock an entire country came over the wire. The news bulletin, issued by the British news agency Reuters, read: “Former Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy attempted to kill himself with a gunshot to the head on Saturday afternoon in Nevers,” said a member of the Nevers fire brigade. He told Reuters that “Pierre Bérégovoy was not dead and had been taken to hospital.”
At 7:17 p.m., Reuters gave more details about the dramatic act, which was confirmed five minutes later by AFP: “Pierre Bérégovoy was found at 6:15 p.m. in the bushes along the banks of a canal called the Junction Basin, in the outskirts of Nevers.”
“He apparently took the gun from a body guard who accompanied him throughout the day, but didn’t notice his gun was gone,” explained a policeman.