Nicolas Sarkozy

President of France

Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa 28 January 1955 Paris, France

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16 May 2007 – 15 May 2012

23rd president of France "Sarkozy" redirects here. For other people with the name, see Sarkozy (surname). Nicolas SarkozySarkozy in 2010President of FranceIn office 16 May 2007 – 15 May 2012Prime Minister François FillonPreceded by Jacques ChiracSucceeded by François Hollande Further offices held Minister of the InteriorIn office 2 June 2005 – 26 March 2007Prime Minister Dominique de VillepinPreceded by Dominique de VillepinSucceeded by François BaroinIn office 7 May 2002 – 30 March 2004Prime Minister Jean-Pierre RaffarinPreceded by Daniel VaillantSucceeded by Dominique de VillepinPresident of the General Council of Hauts-de-SeineIn office 1 April 2004 – 14 May 2007Preceded by Charles PasquaSucceeded by Patrick DevedjianMinister of FinanceIn office 31 March 2004 – 29 November 2004Prime Minister Jean-Pierre RaffarinPreceded by Francis MerSucceeded by Hervé GaymardMinister of CommunicationsIn office 19 July 1994 – 11 May 1995Prime Minister Édouard BalladurPreceded by Alain CarignonSucceeded by Catherine TrautmannMinister of the BudgetIn office 30 March 1993 – 11 May 1995Prime Minister Édouard BalladurPreceded by Michel CharasseSucceeded by François d'AubertGovernment SpokespersonIn office 30 March 1993 – 19 January 1995Prime Minister Édouard BalladurPreceded by Louis MermazSucceeded by Philippe Douste-BlazyMayor of Neuilly-sur-SeineIn office 14 April 1983 – 7 May 2002Preceded by Achille PerettiSucceeded by Louis-Charles BaryAdditional positions Personal detailsBornNicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (1955-01-28 ) 28 January 1955 (age 66) Paris, FrancePolitical partyThe Republicans (since 2015)Other political affiliationsUnion for a Popular Movement (2002–2015) Rally for the Republic (1976–2002) Union of Democrats for the Republic (1974–1976)Spouse(s)Marie-Dominique Culioli ​ ​(m. 1982 ; div. 1996)​ Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz ​ ​(m. 1996 ; div. 2007 )​ Carla Bruni ​(m. 2008 )​Children4, including JeanAlma materParis West University Nanterre La Défense (MA, DEA) Sciences PoSignature Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (/s ɑːr ˈ k oʊ z i / ; French:  ( listen ) ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012. Born in Paris, he is of one half Hungarian, one quarter Greek Jewish, and one quarter French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine from 1983 to 2002, he was Minister of the Budget under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur (1993–1995) during François Mitterrand's second term. During Jacques Chirac's second presidential term he served as Minister of the Interior and as Minister of Finances. He was the leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party from 2004 to 2007. He won the 2007 French presidential election by a 53.1% to 46.9% margin against Socialist Ségolène Royal. During his term, he faced the financial crisis of 2007–2008 (causing a recession, the European sovereign debt crisis), the Russo-Georgian War (for which he negotiated a ceasefire) and the Arab Spring (especially in Tunisia, Libya, and Syria). He initiated the reform of French universities (2007) and the pension reform (2010). He married Italian-French singer-songwriter Carla Bruni in 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris. In the 2012 election, François Hollande, candidate of the Socialist Party, defeated Sarkozy by a 3.2% margin. After leaving the presidential office, Sarkozy vowed to retire from public life before coming back in 2014, being subsequently reelected as UMP leader (renamed The Republicans in 2015). Being defeated at the Republican presidential primary in 2016, he retired from public life. He was charged with corruption by French prosecutors in two cases, notably concerning the alleged Libyan interference in the 2007 French elections. In 2021, Sarkozy and two co-defendants were convicted of corruption; he has appealed the ruling.