Sarkozy

Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy, born 28 January 1955 in Paris, is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. A member of The Republicans (LR), formerly the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), he previously held several major government posts, including Minister of the Interior (2002–2004) and Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2004–2007). He led the UMP to victory in the 2007 presidential election, defeating Ségolène Royal.

As president, Sarkozy pursued a program of economic, social, and security reforms. He pushed tax cuts and business-friendly measures, championed a pension reform that raised the retirement age for many workers, tightened immigration and law-and-order policies, and sought a more assertive French and European role internationally. His presidency coincided with the global financial crisis and the euro area debt crisis, during which France implemented stimulus measures and structural reform.

After leaving office, Sarkozy remained a central figure in French politics and sought to return in the 2017 presidential contest, but he did not secure the Republican nomination. He faced several legal investigations in the ensuing years; notably, in 2021 he was convicted in the Bettencourt affair of influence peddling and corruption, a verdict that has continued to influence his public trajectory.

Personal life: Sarkozy is married to Carla Bruni, a former model and musician, since 2008. They have a daughter, Giulia, born in 2011.