Nicolas SARKOZY
Nicolas Sarkozy was born on 28 January 1955 in Paris (17th arrondissement). He is married with three children. Formerly a lawyer at the Paris bar, he became Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1983, a position he held until 2002. Elected as a National Assembly deputy in 1988, he has held various government posts: Minister for the Budget (1993-1995), Minister for Communication (1994-1995) and Government Spokesman (1993-1995).
On 7 May 2002 he was appointed Minister of the Interior, Internal Security and Local Freedoms in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who became Prime Minister after Jacques Chirac's re-election.
On 1 April 2004 he was appointed Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government.
He was elected Chairman of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) on 28 November 2004. He had also been elected Chairman of the Hauts-de-Seine General Council.
On 2 June 2005 he was appointed Ministre d'Etat, Minister of the Interior and Town and Country Planning.
He officially took office as President of the Republic on 16 May 2007, following his election on 6 May with 53.06% of the votes.
Education
- Master's degree in private law (1978)
- Qualified as a barrister (1981)
- Diplôme d'études approfondies [postgraduate pre-PhD diploma] in political science, with distinction (thesis on the referendum of 27 April 1969)
- Paris Institut d'Etudes Politiques (1979-1981)
Career
- Member of Neuilly-sur-Seine Municipal Council (1977), Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine (1983-2002)
- Vice-Chairman of Hauts-de-Seine General Council, responsible for education and culture (1986-1988)
- National Assembly Deputy for Hauts-de-Seine (sixth constituency) (1988-2002)
- Elected Chairman of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR) departmental committee of Hauts-de-Seine on 3 May 2000 and Chairman of Hauts-de-Seine General Council on 1 April 2004.
- Minister for the Budget (1993-1995); Minister for Communication (1994-1995)
- Government Spokesman (1993-1995); National Secretary of the RPR, responsible for Youth and Training (1988)
- National Secretary of the RPR, responsible for Activities, Youth and Training (1989)
- Co-director of the union list for the European elections (1989); RPR Deputy General Secretary, responsible for local branches (1992-1993)
- Member of the RPR's political bureau (1993); Coordinator and spokesman of the transition team (10 July 1997); RPR General Secretary (6 February 1998)
- Acting RPR chairman (April 1999-October 1999)
- Head of the Rassemblement pour la République-Démocratie Libérale (RPR-DL) list for the June 1999 European elections
- Minister of the Interior, Internal Security and Local Freedoms (2002-2004)
- Ministre d'Etat, Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry (2004); Chairman of Hauts-de-Seine General Council
- Elected Chairman of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) on 28 November 2004
- May 2005, Minister of the Interior and Town and Country Planning
- Presidential election candidate (14 January 2007)
- Resigned from the government in March 2007; he obtained 31.18% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election (22 April 2007)
- Elected President of the French Republic with 53.06% of the votes (6 May 2007)
Published works
- Georges Mandel, Le Moine de la Politique, Editions Grasset (1994)
- Au bout de la passion, l'équilibre - Entretien avec Michel Denisot, Editions Albin Michel (1995)
- Libre - Editions XO/Robert Laffont (January 2001)
- La République, les Religions, l'Espérance, Cerf (2004)
- Témoignage, Editions XO (2006)
- Ensemble, Editions XO (April 2007)