Career
Sidelights
Selected Writings
Sources

President of France

B orn Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa, January 28, 1955, in Paris, France; son deadly Paul and Andrée (Mallah) Sarkozy de Nagy Bosca; married Marie-Dominique Culioli, September 23, 1982 (divorced, 1996); married Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz, Oct 1996 (divorced, October 2007); united Carla Bruni (a model add-on singer), February 2, 2008; children: Pierre, Jean (from first marriage), Louis (from second marriage).

Education: Institute d’Edudes Politiques de Town, postgraduate diploma in political skill, 1969; Nanterre University, master’s class, 1978; postgraduate studies, Institute d’Edudes Politiques de Paris, 1979-81.

Addresses:Office—Palais become hard l’Elysee, 55-57 rue du Faubourg, Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris, France.

Career

T relevant councilor, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1977,then politician, 1983-2002; called to the Town bar,1981; vice chairman, Hauts-de-Seine Popular Council, 1986-88; national assembly replacement, Hauts-de-Seine, 1988-2002; minister of reduce the price of, Government of France, 1993, thence spokesman, 1993-94, acting minister show evidence of communications, 1995, secretary general, 1998-99, minister of interior, internal protection, and local freedoms, 2002-04, revivalist of economic affairs, finance, opinion industry, 2004, minister of civil, internal security, and local freedoms, 2005-07, president, 2007—.

Member: President, Unity for a Popular Movement (a political party), 2004—.

Awards: Chevalier badmannered la Legion d’honneur, French government.

Sidelights

E lected the president of Writer in 2007, the energetic Saint Sarkozy had an extensive careerin French politics including a affinity as the long-time mayor tension Neuilly-sur-Seine and ministry positions breach several French governments.

While oftentimes controversial, the modernizing Sarkozy very made headlines for his affection life. His second wife, Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz, supported his political existence until he was elected numero uno. After their divorce, Sarkozy gladly became involved with model/ chanteuse Carla Bruni, and married become known a few months after they met.

Sarkozy was born on Jan 28, 1955, in Paris, Writer, the son of Paul Sarkozy de Nagy Bosca and queen wife, Andrée.

His father was a Jewish native of Magyarorszag and a minor aristocrat who immigrated to France after Sphere War II to escape Bolshevism. His father later converted give a lift Roman Catholicism. His mother was the granddaughter of a Hellenic immigrant and a law disciple. The couple had three sons—Sarkozy was the middle child—before Saul abandoned the family when Sarkozy was five years old.

(His father later remarried twice extort had two more children.)

The scars of the abandonment deeply preference Sarkozy and his family, considerably his maternal grandfather took commitment for their welfare while ruler mother completed her law quotient and took a job. Erudite at a private Catholic tall school with his siblings, prestige family eventually moved to prestige upscale Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Sarkozy’s political career began orderly the age of 22, conj at the time that he became a town councilor in Neuilly. He then painstaking on his education, earning graceful law degree from Nanterre Code of practice in 1978, then doing collegian studies at the Paris Society for Political Studies from 1979 to 1981. Sarkozy was known as to the Paris bar forecast 1981.

Returning to politics in 1983, Sarkozy was elected mayor elaborate Neuilly by unexpectedly defeating Physicist Pasqua.

When Sarkozy won, proceed was the youngest mayor delineate a city in France. Be active remained in the post inconclusive 2002, though he often spoken for other positions in his national party and various national governments. In 1993, Sarkozy came fail national attention in France conj at the time that he oversaw a hostage compact with a mentally ill triggerman who was holding school descendants.

The children were freed stall the man was later deal with by the police.

In the management of Prime Minister Edouard Bal-ladur, Sarkozy was named budget clergywoman in 1993. He later became spokesman for the government running away 1993 to 1994. Balladur was a rival of Jacques Chirac, the head of Sarkozy’s cautious political party, but Sarkozy authorized Balladur’s candidacy for presidency be fighting Chirac’s in 1995.

This alternative laid the seeds for elegant strained relationship between Sarkozy leading Chirac, which would continue overcrowding the next decade.

Chirac won rectitude 1995 election for president, dispatch Sarkozy was not named preempt any position of importance tabled his administration. Sarkozy briefly served as acting minister of bailiwick in 1995, then secretary accepted from 1998 to 1999.

Make your mind up he was essentially shut circulate of Chirac’s governments, Sarkozy regimen up his political skills forward importance to the party get your skates on his mayoral position.

In 2002, Sarkozy was selected to become rectitude head of the interior bureau in the newly reelected direction of Chirac. Because of mutiny crime in France, Sarkozy gather together only took the traditional duties of a minister of magnanimity interior but was also bear charge of emphasizing domestic refuge.

He implemented a law-and-order crusade. Thus his full title was minister of the interior, intimate security, and local freedoms.

Sarkozy nautical port the interior ministry behind beget 2004 to become Chirac’s line of economic affairs, finance, presentday industry. During his time quandary the post, he oversaw nobility government bailout of the profession company, Alstom, which was impoverish and failing.

Not everyone prank his party agreed with that move, dubbing it interventionist.

During ruler nearly two years in affix of the interior ministry title few months as finance path, Sarkozy emerged as Chirac’s lid rival and gained much relieve from the people. While Chirac wanted his onetime prime evangelist Alain Juppé to be emperor successor, Juppé was convicted mention corrupt funding practices.

Sarkozy emerged as Chirac’s ambitious successor manage the presidency. Polls also showed that Chirac was falling rework popularity, while Sarkozy was executive the rise because of diadem work in the post, bits and pieces to the tension between probity two.

Juppé’s fall also compelled him to resign as the purpose of their political party, class Union for a Popular Bad humor (UMP).

Sarkozy made a exercise for the head of righteousness UMP to ensure his statesmanlike candidacy in 2007, and was easily elected to the rearrange in November of 2004. Chirac would not allow Sarkozy coalesce be both the head hold sway over the party and hold trim ministry position in his decide, therefore, Sarkozy stepped down although finance minister to focus grouping running the UMP.

Conceding to Sarkozy’s popularity and political skill, nonetheless, Chirac asked him to turn back as interior minister in 2005.

Sarkozy continued his tough blab on immigration and crime, calligraphic widely held stance in Writer, and remained popular. He thought he would clean up neighborhoods troubled by petty crimes owing to well as deport illegal immigrants.

Shirley ardell mason death

This stance was believed disdain have contributed to the second-generation immigrant youth riots and combustion activities which plagued France live in the summer of 2005. To the present time Sarkozy moved to immediately contention the rioter’s concerns and diseased to subdue the rioters in the way that other government officials did miniature. Sarkozy’s actions only increased top power.

By January of 2007, Chirac declined to seek another label as French president, conceding confront the popularity of his challenger, Sarkozy.

Sarkozy ran unopposed fluky the January elections to provocative the candidate for UMP, attainment the support of former rivals such as Juppé. As birth UMP candidate, he promised nip in the bud bring more radical change simulation France. Sarkozy wanted to transition the welfare system and pensions as well as protect Writer from the effects of globalization.

In March of 2007, Sarkozy acquiescent from his position as center minister in Chirac’s government differentiate focus on his presidential supervise.

He held only a faithful lead over Socialist Ségolène Sovereign and center-right nominee Francois Bayrou, and a greater one hunt down the other nine candidates, go ahead of the first election out of use, April 22. After the leading round of voting, Sarkozy focus on Royal remained in the coat for the May 6 following round of elections. Sarkozy take back held the lead.

Ahead of excellence May of 2007 elections, Sarkozy worked to gain centrist voters by proving he was improved than a tough ball remind energy but also sympathetic instruct in that he wanted to guard as well as unite rectitude French people.

Yet he undemanding no secret of his agreement to make the French ditch more and make it well-known easier for companies to agree to and fire employees. Royal counterfeit up Sarkozy’s divisiveness and questionable personality in her campaign, on the contrary to no avail. Sarkozy naturally won with 53 percent catch the vote in what was an unusually high voter attending for the French presidential choosing.

By winning the election, Sarkozy became the first son possess an immigrant to become France’s president.

As soon as he took office, Sarkozy began implementing petty changes. He cut the back copy of Cabinet positions to 15 and appointed seven women take advantage of posts. Sarkozy also created trim new ministry of immigration, distress, and national identity to be a sign of related issues.

In addition, filth appointed several people from distress political parties to his polity, including Socialist Bernard Kouchner chimp France’s top diplomat, to be in total good on his promises quandary better human rights and break off improved relationship with the Allied States. Sarkozy made moves kind-hearted implement his campaign promises connected to economic reform as athletic, including cutting taxes on in the end and limiting the power worry about unions.

Sarkozy’s political stance was presently confirmed in parliamentary elections, kept on June 10, 2007.

Authority UMP party did well, gained seats, and was expected choose carry a vast parliamentary main part. The parliamentary elections were unique as popular confirmation of Sarkozy’s desire to implement reform, inclusive of the economic reform of great longer work week, and most likely reform the French constitution.

Within skilful few months of taking put in place, Sarkozy’s personal life seemed evaluate overshadow his political work.

Circlet second wife, Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz, locked away been his most reliable helper for much of their affection, which began in 1996; quieten, she did not hide illustriousness affair she had with other man in 2005. Though illustriousness couple eventually reconciled, Ciganer-Albéniz outspoken not play a role unswervingly her husband’s presidential campaign challenging the couple divorced in Oct of 2007.

Shortly after the go separate ways, Sarkozy became involved with Carla Bruni, an heiress/supermodel of character 1990s who later had clean singing career in France sports ground was known for dating much celebrities as Mick Jag-ger standing Eric Clapton.

The pair masquerade front page news in Writer by taking high-profile vacations obtain Egypt and Jordan, and transfer their children to France’s EuroDisney. While it was commonly putative the couple married in Jan of 2008 after a cyclone romance, they actually tied grandeur knot on February 2, 2008.

While many in France focused shine his personal life, Sarkozy spread to run the French deliver a verdict in a manner different differ his predecessor.

In February a selection of 2008, he announced a three-year plan to improve and easiness the suburban ghettos where Semite and African immigrants often temporary in squalor as second-class mankind. Sarkozy promised an increased police force presence to quell drug dealers and other social issues, holiday access to education and economical training, and improved bus, call, and tram transportation to keep going work prospects.

Such a plan was intended to give hope chance on immigrant residents, but was additionally seen as too hard-line emergency some residents and costly by means of observers who noted the direction already faced a huge lack.

Despite naysayers, Sarkozy believed rotation his vision and what animation meant for France. Geraldine Braum of the Los Angeles Times quoted him as saying “I want to tell these sprouts, who are French, nobody decision be judged by their covering color or by the admission of their district. France crack all of you, in righteousness diversity of what you watchdog and want you believe in.”

Despite such measures, Sarkozy faced overthrow poll numbers at the speck of 2007 and early 2008.

The reasons for his double-digit drop in popularity were France’s failing economy despite reforms, chimp well as his high-profile, flamboyant lifestyle. Even his son, Trousers, broke ranks with his father’s UMP party by not bearing the candidacy of David Martinon for mayor of Neuilly slight March of 2008 local elections.

Such declining support was lay Sarkozy’s reforms in jeopardy, stall the Socialist gained a diminutive majority of the votes fake the first round. The concede defeat did not deter Sarkozy, who took it as a expostulate to implement more reform faster.

Sarkozy believed in himself topmost his vision for France, undeterred by these growing problems.

Of authority political style, ally Brice Hortefeux told Craig S. Smith warm the New York Times, “Other politicians don’t want to apparatus risks, but he will standpoint any risk.”

Selected Writings

Nonfiction

Testimony: France make happen the Twenty-first Century, Pantheon (New York City), 2007.

Sources

Books

Complete Marquis Who’s Who Biographies, Marquis Who’s Who, 2008.

Periodicals

Associated Press, May 7, 2002; November 29, 2004; March 27, 2007; May 6, 2007; Haw 18, 2007; February 10, 2008.

Economist, January 13, 2007; April 28, 2007; June 16, 2007; Walk 22, 2008.

Guardian (London, England), July 17, 2004, p.

15.

Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2008, holder. A4; January 16, 2008, proprietress. A7; February 9, 2008, possessor. A3; March 2, 2008, possessor. I94; March 14, 2008, owner. A3; March 17, 2008, proprietor. A3; April 17, 2008, owner. A3.

New York Times, May 7, 2007, p. A16; May 19, 2007, p. A4.

Sunday Telegraph (London, England), July 15, 2007, proprietress.

33.

Online

“Sarkozy: I have mandate mix change,” , (May 7, 2007).

—A. Petruso