Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (real name Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa) was born on January 28, 1955 in Paris in the family of a Hungarian aristocrat who emigrated to France.
In 1978, he graduated with a master's degree in private law from the University of Paris X in the capital suburb of Nanterre, and subsequently defended his DEA (Diploma of Advanced Studies) diploma in political science there. From 1979 to 1981 he studied at the Sciences-Po Institute of Political Studies in Paris. In 1981 he received a professional lawyer's certificate.
Until 1987, he practiced law in Paris, specializing in real estate law.
Nicolas Sarkozy is a defendant in several criminal cases.
In the spring of 2012, a scandal erupted around the possible financial support of Sarkozy from the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi - the French publication Mediapart published documents stating that the Libyan regime allegedly transferred 50 million euros for the needs of Sarkozy's presidential campaign in the 2007 presidential elections. Currently, legal proceedings in this case are ongoing in France.
In addition, investigators charged Sarkozy with bribery, using his official position for personal gain, and concealing the fact of violating professional secrets. The investigation suggests that Sarkozy, during the consideration of the “Betancourt case” in the Court of Cassation regarding the financing of his election campaign, tried through his lawyer Herzog to obtain information protected by professional secrecy. For his part, Sarkozy, according to investigators, could have promised court member Azibert assistance in obtaining a prestigious judicial post in Monaco.
Sarkozy, as part of the “Betancourt case,” was accused of abusing the trust of L’Oreal owner Liliane Betancourt in financing his election campaign. The investigation began in 2007, but until 2012, Sarkozy as president had immunity. In October 2013, due to insufficient evidence.
A new half-naked photograph of Louis Sarkozy, the 18-year-old son of ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has become a real “bomb” on social networks. For many years, the politician’s youngest son was known as an ugly duckling: not as handsome as his older brothers, plump, wearing glasses. With his father's resignation as president, Louis disappeared from the paparazzi's radar for several years. Who would have thought that now he looks completely different from before: the guy has become a real handsome man!
10 year old Louis Sarkozy (2007) and 18 year old (2015)
Louis Sarkozy, judging by the pictures on his Instagram, is a loving young man Louis recently returned to his native France from the United States, where he had lived for the past few years as a military academy cadet. If, after seeing his photo, you wanted to know in which Parisian establishments the young Sarkozy whiles away his evenings, we hasten to disappoint you: the heart of 18-year-old Louis is already taken.
Louis has a whirlwind romance with 24-year-old French TV presenter Kapussin Anav. They were first spotted kissing on the streets of Saint-Tropez a few months ago, then the couple vacationed together in Thailand. Yesterday, August 16, together with Kapusin, brothers Jean and Pierre, as well as Nicolas Sarkozy's father, Louis attended the PSG - Gazelek football match. This is the first joint appearance of a loving couple in public; previously Louis and Kapusin carefully hid and even denied their relationship.
Louis Sarkozy with his lover Capucin Anave and brother Jean (right)
Let us remember that in his first marriage - with Corsican Marie-Dominique Cuglioli - politician Nicolas Sarkozy had two sons - Jean and Pierre. In 1994, he married Cecilia Martin and had a third son, Louis. In 2008, Nicolas married model Carla Bruni, who gave birth to his daughter Julia.
Nicolas's eldest son, Jean, followed in his father's footsteps and began his own political career. A few years ago, he profitably married the heiress of the largest French household appliance chain Darty, Jessica Sibun-Darty. Jean was repeatedly criticized in the French press, which called him unprincipled and mercantile. In 2008, he became the hero of a scandal by fleeing the scene of an accident.
Nicolas's middle son, Pierre Sarkozy, chose to take a completely different path. The young man said more than once in interviews that he would be glad to have a less sonorous surname, go to a simple college, be friends with whomever he wants and choose girls himself, not necessarily from high society. To this day, Pierre tries to live without making his last name public. He became a famous DJ and tours around the world under the pseudonym DJ Mosey. In July of this year, as reported by a number of foreign media, Pierre began an affair with the Dagestan model Aminat Mirzakhanova.
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sárközy de Nagy-Bócsa (French Nicolas Sarkozy, full name Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sárközy de Nagy-Bócsa; born January 28, 1955, Paris) - French statesman and politician, 23rd President of the French Republic and 6th President of the Fifth French Republic. As president, he is ex-officio co-prince of Andorra and grand master of the Legion of Honor. Elected president on May 6, 2007, took office on May 16, replacing Jacques Chirac as head of state.
Leader of the ruling party “Union for a Popular Movement” (French Union pour un mouvement populaire, UMP) (from 2004 until taking office). In 1993-1995, 2002-2004 and from 2005 to 2007, he held ministerial positions in the French government. Also, before taking office as President of the Republic, he was Chairman of the General Council of the Department of Hauts-de-Seine.
In France he is known by the nickname "Sarko", which is used by both his supporters and opponents.
Parents
Father - Pal Nagy-Bocsa Szarkozhy - was born in Budapest into the family of a minor Hungarian Protestant nobleman (nobility and coat of arms were given to the family in 1628 by Emperor Ferdinand II for the exploits of his ancestor during the Thirty Years' War), who owned lands near the city of Szolnok and the small castle of Alattyán 100 km away from the capital. His ancestors were members of the municipality of Szolnok. With the arrival of the Soviet army in 1944, the family left the country. In Baden-Baden, Paul Sarkozy (as he Frenchized his first and last name) enrolled in the French Foreign Legion, signed a five-year contract and served in Algeria. Not wanting to go to Indochina, he was demobilized in 1948. He received French citizenship and settled in Marseille, soon moving to Paris. In 1949 he married Andrée Mallah, a law student and daughter of a famous doctor in the respectable 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her father, Benedict Mallah, was a Sephardic Jew, an immigrant from Thessaloniki who converted to Catholicism, and her mother, Adele Bouvier, was a French nurse from Savoy and a Catholic. From the marriage of Paul Sarkozy and Andre Mallat, three children were born: Guillaume (1952), Nicolas (1955) and Francois (1957).
In 1959, Sarkozy Sr. left the family, after which he was married twice more. The mother, in order to raise her children, completed her education and became a lawyer.
Nicolas Sarkozy spent the first years of his life in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Later, the family moved to the neighboring town of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a prosperous commune west of the 17th arrondissement outside Paris. The father practically did not participate in raising the children and did not help the family, although he was a wealthy man. Sarkozy was influenced by his grandfather, a Catholic by religion and a Gaullist by political views. The family wanted the children to fully assimilate into French society. As a child, Sarkozy, in his own words, did not feel like a full-fledged Frenchman and suffered from his relatively low financial situation, and besides, he was not strong enough to stand up for himself. Later, he repeatedly stated that it was the humiliations of childhood and the absence of his father that made him what he is now. His ambitions and desire for power look like compensation for his second-class status in his youth. It is alleged that his father once allegedly told him that he could never become president of France because such things only happen in the United States.
Education, work, family
He received his education at a private Catholic school. According to reviews, I studied rather mediocrely. In 1973 he received a bachelor's degree. In 1978 he graduated from the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris in public law and political sciences, as well as a course in private law (without a diploma). He became a lawyer specializing in French commercial law, and more precisely in real estate law.
On September 23, 1982 he married the Corsican Marie-Dominique Culioli, the daughter of a pharmacist from Vico (a Corsican village north of the capital of the island, Ajaccio). They had two sons - Pierre (1985) and Jean (1987).
In 1984, while mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, he met Cecilia Martin, née Ciganer-Albeniz, who was the wife of the owner of a local TV channel (Sarkozy, as mayor, presided over their wedding ceremony). Nicolas and Cecilia began an affair, which ended in Sarkozy's difficult divorce from his first wife. They got married in 1996 and had a son, Louis, in 1997. Their family also included Cecilia's two daughters from her first marriage, Judith (1984) and Jeanne-Marie (1989).
Mrs Sarkozy played a public role, often appearing with her husband in public places and acting as his assistant, which was quite unusual in French politics. In 2005, reports appeared in the French press about the crisis of their relationship and preparations for divorce. At that time, there was no divorce, but in the future the couple’s relationship continued to intrigue society (Sarkozy strongly opposed interference in his personal life). Cecilia appeared in public with her husband on some occasions, without him on others, and voted with him in the first round of the 2007 presidential election, but not in the second. She attended Nicolas' inauguration on May 16 along with her three children, as well as her husband's two sons from his first marriage. The president’s parents, who separated almost half a century ago, also attended the ceremony.
On October 17, 2007, rumors appeared in the French press according to which Cecilia and Nicolas filed divorce papers in court on October 15. On October 18, it was officially announced that the divorce by mutual consent had already taken place, and that Louis' son would remain with his mother.
On February 2, 2008, Sarkozy entered into a third marriage - with Italian fashion model and singer Carla Bruni.
General political characteristics
Political scientists note his high leadership qualities and charisma. By conviction he is a right-wing conservative. Advocates for reducing taxes and social spending. Supporter of European integration. Judging by his speeches, he supports the traditional French values of a secular democratic state, which have also absorbed the experience of Christian civilization. In the issue of assimilation of immigrants, attention is paid primarily to their ability to accept these values. Considered an ally of the United States. Some journalists critical of US policy, such as Thierry Meyssan, accuse Sarkozy of being an agent of Zionism and the CIA. Opponents and many independent researchers call Sarkozy a liberal or ultra-liberal; he himself denies such a definition and claims that he is a “pragmatist.”
Sarkozy is a highly polarizing figure in society. He is the most popular and at the same time the most unpopular of the recent right-wing politicians, his personality is the subject of constant criticism and ridicule from the left. Phenomena such as special “anti-Sarkozy” campaigns and voting on the principle of “anyone but him” are widespread. At the same time, Sarkozy's supporters are also a powerful and fairly consolidated force.
In 1974, Sarkozy joined the Union of Democrats for the Republic party. At the age of 22, he became a member of the city council in his native Neuilly-sur-Seine, at 28 - mayor of the city (1983), remaining in this post until 2002. In 1979-1981 he headed the youth committee to support Jacques Chirac in the 1981 presidential elections. moment he became an ally and protégé of the future president.
In 1993, Sarkozy became famous for personally negotiating with a terrorist who took children hostage in Neuilly's kindergarten. In the same year, he joined the government of Edouard Balladur, where he received the position of Minister of Budget and the post of official representative of the government. In addition, he served as Minister of Communications. Chirac treated him very favorably, but in the 1995 elections he broke with Chirac and supported Balladur, whose rating at the beginning of the election campaign was 50%, while Chirac had only 14%. After Chirac won the election, Sarkozy lost his government posts. It is widely believed that Chirac perceived Sarkozy's behavior as a betrayal, and from that moment on, relations between the two French politicians became hostile. However, in the 2002 elections, Sarkozy supported Chirac, and in May 2002, after his difficult re-election, the president appointed Sarkozy as interior minister in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
In 2004, in connection with the vacancy of the seat of the chairman of the ruling Union of the Popular Movement party (chairman Alain Juppé was accused of corruption and sentenced to lose his rights), the search for a new leader began. Sarkozy was seen as the most likely candidate. Chirac and his supporters initially put forward the slogan “Anyone but Sarkozy,” but were eventually forced to give in, and in May 2004 Sarkozy was elected chairman (85.1% of the vote). By agreement with Chirac, he left his ministerial posts and concentrated on party work. During his chairmanship, the party's membership increased. When the cabinet resigned on May 31, 2005 due to an unsuccessful vote on the European Constitution, Sarkozy was invited to the new government of Dominique de Villepin, where the previously abolished post of minister of state - the second person in the government - was restored for him.
Activities in government
Observers noted Sarkozy's activity in his ministerial work. He constantly traveled around the country. Critics accused him of populism and abuse of the rhetoric of power. Supporters noted that he was entrusted with the most difficult areas of work.
As Minister of the Interior, he had to look for solutions to several pressing problems. Crime flourished in the suburbs of large cities. France was swept by a wave of anti-Semitism, and tensions grew in the Muslim community. The aggravation of the situation was also typical for the traditional hotbed of separatist tension - the island of Corsica, where more than 200 terrorist attacks occurred in 2002.
The reforms carried out by Sarkozy have caused mixed reactions. The liberal public accused him of encroaching on civil rights. The anti-crime policy included increasing police presence on the streets and expanding the powers of law enforcement agencies. The fight against prostitution has intensified. Control on the roads was tightened, which reduced the number of accidents. During the riots in the suburbs of Paris (2005), Sarkozy called their participants hooligans and scum (voyous et racailles). He also called for “cleaning the suburbs with Karchers” (“Kärcher”, or, in French pronunciation, “Karcher” is a company that produces devices for washing cars, building facades, etc. under high pressure), which caused a public outcry comparable to Putin’s saying “to soak in the toilet.”
In relations with the Islamic community he pursued a flexible policy. Tightened controls on illegal immigration. During protests against the law banning hijabs in schools, he directly stated that opposing Islam to republican values is unacceptable. On the other hand, he is known as a supporter of the concept of “positive discrimination,” which, however, the prime minister and president hastened to reject as contrary to the ideals of equality. In 2003 he supported the creation of the private non-profit French Council for Muslim Religion. He also proposed changing the 1905 law on the separation of church and state to allow the financing of religious organizations with French money instead of foreign donations, which only help to fuel radicalism.
In his book Republic, Religion and Hope, Sarkozy stated in 2004: “I belong to the Catholic culture, the Catholic tradition, the Catholic faith. Even if my religious practice is sporadic, I consider myself a member of the Catholic Church." On April 21, 2007, in an interview with the Catholic weekly Famille Chrétienne, he stated that Christianity “witnessed the birth of the French nation” and left “a huge legacy of cultural, moral, intellectual and spiritual values.” Sarkozy told another Catholic publication, Le Pélerin, on May 4, shortly before being elected president, that France was a “secular country” and his Catholic beliefs would not “directly influence” the political program; at the same time, he spoke out for traditional heterosexual marriage and against euthanasia.
Election as President
On January 14, 2007, the national congress of the Union for a Popular Movement party (UMP, SND) approved Sarkozy as a candidate for the presidential elections with 98% of the votes (late April-early May 2007). A few days before the SND congress, Alain Juppé (ex-Prime Minister of France) and Michel Alliot-Marie (Minister of Defense) publicly announced their support for Sarkozy’s candidacy. Another former prime minister, Jean Pierre Raffarin, spoke at the congress with unequivocal support for Sarkozy. Thus, the party leadership decided in favor of one candidate. On March 21, Jacques Chirac also announced his support for his candidacy, having decided not to run for a third time. In March 2007, Sarkozy resigned as minister to devote himself to the election campaign.
Before the elections, Sarkozy campaigned actively, meeting with his supporters both in regions that traditionally support the right and in regions that vote for socialists. His opponents accused Sarkozy of not being able to visit a troubled Parisian neighborhood without 300 security men. Initially, Sarkozy was slightly behind Royal in the polls, but since February he has consistently led in all ratings.
In the first round of elections, which took place on April 22, 2007, Sarkozy gained 31%; Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal took second place. The subsequent campaign was marked by intrigue surrounding the fate of 18% of the votes received in the first round by Francois Bayrou. Bayrou initially said he would not support either candidate, but then said he "would not vote for Sarkozy."
During the May 2 televised debate, Sarkozy, according to most analysts, was more confident than Royal and reacted with irony to her emotional statements. These debates contributed to some growth in his rating (however, he was in the lead before that).
The second round on May 6 brought victory to Sarkozy, who scored 53%. On election day, even before the preliminary results were announced, riots by left-wing youth began in Lyon and Paris. The Constitutional Council announced the final results of the elections on May 10 and proclaimed Sarkozy president of the republic starting from the end of Chirac's powers.
Presidency
Sarkozy took office on May 16. At 11 o'clock in the morning, Jacques Chirac received him at the Elysee Palace and, during a private conversation, gave him the code from the nuclear arsenal. Sarkozy then escorted Chirac out of the Elysee Palace and returned to the state hall, where he was greeted by the chairman of the Constitutional Council, and then the newly elected president was presented with the chain of the Grand Master of the Legion of Honor. He took office by signing the protocol of transferring the regalia to him. At the same time, an artillery salute (21 salvos) was fired, and in honor of Mrs. Sarkozy, the orchestra played the composition Leyenda, written by her grandfather Isaac Albéniz. The President of the Republic made a speech where he listed 12 “demands” put forward to him by voters.
Then the president's motorcade, accompanied by an escort of cavalry and motorcyclists, proceeded to the Champs-Elysees, where the president laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, and also bowed to the monuments of Georges Clemenceau and Charles de Gaulle. During the motorcade, Sarkozy, in violation of protocol, came out several times to greet the people. The ceremony ended in the Bois de Boulogne, where the president made a brief speech to honor the memory of the Resistance heroes executed there in 1944.
Changes in the status of the President
Soon after taking office, the president increased his salary by 140% and lowered his taxes, which caused an extremely controversial reaction in society.
In June-July 2007, the president’s second wife, Cecilia, carried out a number of public assignments related to the release of Bulgarian doctors convicted by a Libyan court. This (as well as her use of Elysee Palace finances) also exposed her to attacks from the press, which were critical of her husband, but Nicolas and Cecilia divorced in October 2007. Until Sarkozy's marriage to Carla Bruni on February 2, 2008, France did not have a first lady (previously, the only unmarried presidents were Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who was single until he was proclaimed emperor, and the widowed Rene Coty). Sarkozy became the first president to marry while in office.
Domestic policy. Government
On May 17, Sarkozy appointed his close associate François Fillon, who held ministerial posts during Chirac's second term, as prime minister. On May 18, Fillon formed a government that included ex-premier Alain Juppé (as minister of state), leftist Bernard Kouchner (as foreign minister) and a number of members of de Villepin's cabinet, including Michele Alliot-Marie, who headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In June of the same year, the Parliamentary elections in France (2007) brought Sarkozy's party a majority, but it received slightly fewer seats than it expected. In addition, Juppe, who was not elected as a deputy, resigned from the government.
As president, Sarkozy established many commissions and advisory councils designed to solve various domestic political and economic problems; in the fall of 2007, at least 16 commissions had to submit a report - a unique case in the history of the Fifth Republic.
In October-November 2007, new public demonstrations and strikes broke out in France (the strike of transport workers became especially large-scale), which soon escalated again into riots in the suburbs of Paris, comparable in scale to the events of 2005.
Foreign policy
Relations with Germany
During his first foreign visit (already on the day of inauguration), Sarkozy, who met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, called on Germany to intensify cooperation.
Relations with Russia
On May 22, 2007, Sarkozy had his first telephone conversation with Putin. The traditions of Gaullism are focused on “special” partnerships with Russia. However, in view of the Atlantic vector of the president’s foreign policy declared during the election campaign, the contours of Sarkozy’s policy in relations with Russia are still unclear. During the election campaign in February 2007, Sarkozy spoke of the need for "Russia's evolution" in the field of human rights, mentioning the 200 thousand dead and 400 thousand refugees as a result of the Chechen conflict. The conversation with Putin was accompanied by an extensive commentary from the Elysee Palace, in which President Sarkozy spoke more favorably about Russia and its authorities. Nicolas Sarkozy said that he “attributes importance to the privileged relationship between the two countries,” that Russia is a “great state” (grande nation), and Putin is “a person you can talk to” who has ensured “the stability of Russia.” Observers note that Putin congratulated Sarkozy on his election only two days after the official announcement of the election results, and personally only a week after the inauguration, after taking a certain pause. At the same time, the Kremlin emphasized the need to maintain a high level of intensity in Franco-Russian cooperation and dialogue.
European Union
Sarkozy's foreign policy priority is Europe, in particular the European Union. It was he who became one of the authors and active supporters of the Lisbon Treaty, amending the Treaty establishing the EU and the Treaty establishing the EEC, a treaty that replaced the draft European Constitution rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005. According to official Paris, This agreement, signed on December 13, 2007, on the one hand, helps the EU to act more ambitiously in various areas, on the other, takes into account the opinion of the French and Dutch people. However, the very nature of the Treaty, as well as the method of its ratification (by the French Parliament, meeting as part of the Congress on February 8, 2008) causes lively debate in French society and among politicians. Sarkozy also proposed developing a new EU security strategy to replace the one adopted in 2003 (domestically, Sarkozy began the process of developing a new White Paper on national defense to replace the one adopted in 1994). Sarkozy's plans for the full return of France to NATO military structures are widely discussed, but this is conditional development of EU defense initiatives and reform of the Alliance.
EU enlargement. Türkiye and the Balkans
Sarkozy also opposes Turkey’s immediate accession to the EU, because he believes that Europe should be a “political project” and not a “UN subregion”; it highlights Turkey's internal problems, instability in the region, and the EU's inability to accept this state without destabilizing its functioning. In addition, there are a number of bilateral problems between the countries (by Turkey’s decision, the French company Gaz de France withdrew from the Nabucco gas pipeline project in February 2008; Ankara explains this action by the fact that Paris officially recognizes the 1915 Armenian genocide in Turkey ; the Sarkozy-backed Mediterranean Union project is seen by Turkey as a possible attempt to substitute Mediterranean cooperation for its EU membership). At the same time, Sarkozy is trying in every possible way to prevent a serious deterioration in relations with Turkey, emphasizing friendly historical ties with this country, proposing various forms of cooperation with the EU - “partnership”, “association”.
Sarkozy officially supports the entry into the EU of the Western Balkans states (candidates Croatia, Macedonia and potential candidates Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo (in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244), Albania), but only if they comply with all criteria. Only in relation to Croatia, Article 88-5 of the French Constitution will not apply, according to which “Any draft law authorizing the ratification of a treaty regarding the accession of a state to the European Union shall be submitted to a referendum by the President of the Republic.”
Independence of Kosovo
Sarkozy participated in the G8 summit in Germany in June 2007, where he advocated the independence of Kosovo.
France recognized Kosovo on February 18, 2008, the day after the declaration of independence. At the same time, Paris intends to establish good relations with both Kosovo and Serbia and sees a European perspective for both countries.
Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit
Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)
Knight of the Order of Stara Planina with ribbon (Bulgaria, 2007)
Former President of the country Nicolas Sarkozy as part of an investigation into alleged illegal financing of his election campaign in the 2007 elections, Reuters reported, citing a source.
Nicolas Sarkozy was born on January 28, 1955 in Paris. His father is a Hungarian who emigrated to France, his mother is a Frenchwoman of Jewish origin.
Graduated from the University of Paris X - Nanterre. In 1979-1981 he studied at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Specialist in business and family law.
In 1976, he joined the youth organization of the right-wing party “Union in Support of the Republic” (OPR). In 1977 he became a member of the OPR leadership.
In 1977, he joined the city council of Neuilly-sur-Seine (near Paris), and in 1983 he became the mayor of this city (until 2002).
In the early 1980s, he was a co-founder and co-owner of the law firm Claude et Sarkozy and practiced law until 1987.
In 1988, he was first elected to the National Assembly. In the same year, he became the national secretary of the Union for the Support of the Republic, in 1993 - a member of the Politburo, and in 1998 - the general secretary of this party (in office until March 2001).
In 1993-1995, he served as Minister of Budget in the government of Edouard Balladur, being both the official representative of the government and, since 1994, acting Minister of Communications.
In 1999, he served as acting chairman of the OPR, but after the party’s defeat in the European Parliament elections in June 1999, he resigned.
In 2002-2004 - Minister of the Interior, Internal Security and Local Government in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
In May-November 2004 - Minister of State (rank of Deputy Prime Minister), Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry in the Raffarin government.
From November 2004 to May 14, 2007, he was chairman of the Union for the People's Movement (UND; created in 2002 as a result of the merger of a number of parties, including OPR).
In 2004-2007, he also headed the General Council (self-government body) of the Haute-Seine department.
In June 2005, he was invited to join the government of Dominique de Villepin, took the post of Minister of State and headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Territorial Improvement. Under him, measures to combat crime were strengthened and control over illegal immigration was tightened. Sarkozy has shown himself to be a supporter of tough measures to ensure order. This was evident, in particular, during the acute social crisis that erupted in France in October-November 2005 (involving young people, mainly immigrants from North Africa), as well as during the student unrest in March 2006.
On March 26, 2007, Sarkozy left the government in connection with preparations for the presidential elections. On May 6, 2007, he won and received 53% of the votes in the second round (his opponent was Segolene Royal, candidate of the Socialist Party).
From May 16, 2007 to May 14, 2012 - President of France. He became famous in this post for his actions aimed at deepening integration within the EU and at stabilizing and developing the financial structure of the European Union (EU Constitution, Lisbon Treaty, EU Fiscal Pact). Sarkozy played a significant role in resolving the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict; was one of the initiators of the resumption of negotiations between the EU and Russia on concluding a new partnership and cooperation agreement and the return of France to the NATO political structure.
In 2012, Sarkozy ran for a second presidential term, but lost the election, losing to the socialist François Hollande (in the first round on April 22 he received 27.18% of the vote, Hollande had 28.63%; in the second round on May 6 - 48.33%, Hollande - 51.67%).
After the defeat, he returned to practice as a lawyer (in the office he founded in the 1980s), declaring that he would never again participate in the political life of the country. However, in September 2014, he officially announced his return to politics.
On November 29, 2014, by a majority vote, he was elected chairman of the Union for the Popular Movement party (renamed the Republicans in May 2015). On August 23, 2016, he resigned as chairman of the party in order to participate in the presidential elections in 2017.
On November 20, 2016, he was defeated in the first round of the primaries (he took third place, receiving 21.4% of the vote) and dropped out of the presidential race.
Nicolas Sarkozy is a Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (2007, as President) and a Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (2007, as President), and has state awards from other countries.
Married for his third marriage to the popular singer Carla Bruni, they had a daughter in 2011. From previous marriages he has three sons.
The former president of the fifth republic, who also happened to be the prince of Andorra and the grand master of the Legion of Honor, is remembered by most of the world's population more as the husband of the beautiful model Carla Bruni. The son of a Hungarian emigrant Nicolas Sarkozy managed to do the incredible - make his way to the top of power. He is the first Frenchman in history to become a head of state in the second generation.
Origin
The future president of France was born in the city of Paris on January 28, 1955, in the family of a native of Budapest, Pal Nagy-Bocsa Sarkesi, and a Frenchwoman, Andre Malla. My father came from an old Hungarian dynasty who fled to the West in 1944 after Soviet troops entered the country. His relatives, who once owned the castle and are large Hungarian landowners, were supporters of the pro-fascist Horthy regime.
In Baden-Baden, under the name of Paul Sarkozy (rewriting his surname in the French way), he signed up for the French Foreign Legion. In 1948, he was demobilized, having served a five-year contract in Algeria and not wanting to go to fight in French Indochina.
Having received French citizenship for his service, he settled in Marseille. Later he moved to Paris, where he met a pretty Parisian student, who soon became his wife. Andre studied law and was the daughter of a well-known surgeon in the area. Her father was an emigrant from the Greek city of Thessaloniki, a Sephardic Jew who converted to Catholicism. Mom, also of the Catholic faith, was French. It was she who gave Nicolas Sarkozy a quarter of his French roots.
early years
The boy was raised by his grandfather, who was an ardent Gaullist. Nicolas studied at a Catholic school, and rather mediocrely. The father appeared occasionally, scolded his son, and disappeared again. He did not provide any financial support to the family. As a child, as Nicolas Sarkozy later recalled, he did not feel like a full-fledged Frenchman and suffered due to a relatively poor financial situation. After the death of their grandfather, they moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, a town near Paris.
In 1973, Nicolas graduated from school and entered the University of Paris X-Nanterre, from which he graduated in 1978, becoming a master in civil law. He continued his education at the Institute of Political Studies, but before finishing his studies, he began his career as a lawyer in the field of real estate.
As mayor
Nicolas Sarkozy became involved in politics early. In 1976, he joined the new Gaullist party “Rally for the Republic” (PRR), which was founded by the future president. He was recommended by the famous French politician Charles Pascua. A year later, from this party he became a member of the city council of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the western outskirts of Paris. And when he turned 28, in 1983 he became the mayor of this city and remained in this post until 2002.
He performed well during the campaign for the 1981 presidential elections, when he worked in Jacques Chirac's youth committee. The young and energetic young man was noticed and began to be promoted into big politics; in 1988 he became a deputy of the Lower House of Parliament. The first photos of Nicolas Sarkozy with leading French politicians appeared in the press of those years.
In 1993-1995, he served as Minister of Budget and then as Minister of Communications in the government of Edouard Balladur.
Minister
Nicolas Sarkozy showed himself especially clearly as Minister of the Interior, Internal Security and Local Government in 2002-2004. At this time, France was overwhelmed by a wave of crime, problems associated with tensions in the large Muslim community were growing, and aggressive anti-Semitism was flourishing. The situation in Corsica with its traditional separatism has worsened. In 2002 alone, more than 200 terrorist attacks occurred on the island.
The reforms and their harsh administration caused strong discontent in liberal circles, who accused the ministry of infringing on civil liberties. Measures to strengthen the fight against crime included expanding the powers granted to law enforcement forces and a widespread police presence on the streets. Tighter controls on streets and roads have reduced the number of accidents. There was a systematic fight against illegal immigration and prostitution.
His success as a minister was appreciated, and in May 2004 he was appointed minister of state - the second most important post in the government. In 2007, he resigned as preparations for the presidential elections began.
At the pinnacle of power
In the second round of elections, Sarkozy defeated the socialist with 53% of the vote. After becoming President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy began large-scale reforms. First of all, the changes concerned the basic law of the country. Many changes were made regarding the activities of the president, including restrictions on the re-election of the head of state. Parliament is given the right to veto presidential candidates. Other reforms, for example, an increase in the presidential salary by 140% with a simultaneous reduction in taxes on it, caused an extremely sharp reaction in society, where they had previously been quite critical of it.
The actions of President Nicolas Sarkozy to strengthen European integration, stabilize and increase the efficiency of the financial system of the European Union have received international recognition. He advocated strengthening the influence of the European Union on world politics and was opposed to Turkey's admission to this organization.
Nicolas Sarkozy (France was the EU chairman at that time), representing not only his country, but also Europe as a whole, made a significant contribution to the settlement of the military conflict in South Ossetia.
After the presidency
In 2012, President Nicolas Sarkozy lost in the second round of elections to the socialist ex-husband of Ségolène Royal. It is interesting that it was from her that Sarkozy, in turn, won the second round of the previous presidential elections. After the defeat, he returned to practice law in his law firm, which he founded back in the 80s. Then Sarkozy said that he would never engage in politics again.
However, in September 2014, he officially announced his return to the political arena. According to all ratings, Sarkozy was in the lead among right-wing voters. However, in the primaries for the 2017 presidential election, he took only third place and dropped out of the race.
Libyan revenge
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was detained by police on March 20, 2018 in connection with a corruption investigation. The main charge concerned receiving funds for his 2007 election campaign from the Libyan leader. This is the first time a former head of state has been detained. French law prohibits the financing of election funds from foreign sources.
The investigation into possible financing of Sarkozy's election campaign by the Libyan authorities began in April 2013. In 2011, the son of the murdered Gaddafi, the leader of the Jamahiriya, said that his father sponsored the election fund, transferring more than 50 million euros. The following year, Mediapart published documents confirming these transactions, which Sarkozy called fake.
Stormy personal life
Quite little is known about life with his first wife; they got married in 1982. His chosen one was a girl from a small village from Corsica - Dominique Cuglioli, who worked as a pharmacist. The Corsican gave birth to two sons - Pierre (1985) and Jean (1987).
In 1984, he met Cecilia Cigane-Albenitz, and at her wedding. Sarkozy, as mayor of the small town of Neuilly-sur-Seine, attended the registration ceremony at the municipality. The bride, already pregnant, married the owner of a local television channel, Jacques Martin. All this did not stop Nicolas from falling in love with Celia. Their romance lasted 12 years, during which time Madame Martin gave birth to two daughters from her husband. For one of the daughters, Nicolas Sarkozy's wife became godmother.
Second marriage
The old lovers got married in 1996, and a year later their son Louis was born. However, over time, reports began to appear in the yellow press that a crisis had arisen in the family relations of a high-ranking official. In 2005, the famous Paris Match magazine published photographs of Cecilia and her alleged lover, businessman of Moroccan origin Richard Attias, whom she married after her divorce from Sarkozy.
They were planning to separate at the beginning of 2007, but decided to wait due to the beginning of the presidential campaign. However, already in October there was a message about the divorce by mutual consent.
Blind date
French advertising guru Jacques Seguel was hosting the dinner. Among the invitees there were only married couples, and only Nicolas and Karla came alone. The president's friend thought that a little romantic adventure after a difficult divorce from his second wife would not hurt him, and organized a blind date. As they later wrote, it was only towards the end of the dinner that the girl realized that she was being brought together with the head of state. All evening he showered her with compliments, as the first lady of France later wrote, she was captivated by Sarkozy’s charm and intelligence. The couple started dating, they were not embarrassed by the fact that Nicolas Sarkozy is 166 cm tall, and Carla Bruni is 175 cm tall. However, she had to give up shoes with heels when they went out together.
Three months later, in February 2008, a modest wedding took place. The wedding, which took place at the Elysee Palace, was attended by 20 people. Many journalists doubted the sincerity of the newlyweds' feelings, considering this to be just another business project.
The haste, as it turned out, was explained by the fact that Sarkozy wanted to introduce Charles to Queen Elizabeth. According to the rules of etiquette, he could not introduce Her Majesty to his girlfriend - only to his legal wife. Everything went well, although London greeted the presidential couple with a reprint of a photo from her modeling past. A large black and white photograph of Carla Bruni nude, which sold at Christie's that same year for $135,000. In October 2011, a daughter, Julia, was born into the family.