Communist leader dies

Georges Marchais, Stalinist leader of the French Communist Party for 22 years, died in a Paris hospital yesterday, aged 77. He had a long history of heart disease. When Mr Marchais became leader of the PCF in 1972, it was France's biggest opposition party, winning one out of every four votes in national elections. By the time he stepped down in January 1994, its share had fallen to 7 per cent as the Soviet communism that had inspired Marchais was swept away. Obituary, page 16

- Reuters, Paris