Nicolas Sarkozy Fast Facts

Here’s a look at the life of Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France.

Personal

Birth date: January 28, 1955

Birth place: Paris, France

Birth name: Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa

Father: Pal Sarkozy de Nagy Bocsa

Mother: Andrée (Mallah) Sarkozy de Nagy Bocsa

Marriages: Carla Bruni (2008-present); Cécilia Ciganer-Albeniz (1996-2007, divorced); Marie-Dominique Culioli (1982-1996, divorced)

Children: with Carla Bruni: Giulia; with Cécilia Ciganer-Albeniz: Louis; with Marie-Dominique Culioli: Jean and Pierre

Education: Attended the Paris Institute of Political Studies, 1979-1981; University of Paris, Law, 1978

Religion: Roman Catholic

Other Facts

Son of a French mother and Hungarian immigrant father.

Grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine or Neuilly, a suburb of Paris.

Member of the Republican party, formerly known as Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party.

Timeline

1977 – Elected city councilman of Neuilly.

1983-2002 – Mayor of Neuilly.

1993-1995 – Serves as budget minister of France.

2002-2004 – Interior minister.

March 2004-November 2004 – Finance minister.

2005-2007 – Serves as interior minister again, resigns to run for president.

May 6, 2007 – Defeats Segolene Royal 53% to 47% in the presidential runoff.

May 16, 2007 – Sworn in as president of France.

August 2008 – Helps broker a cease-fire agreement between Georgia and Russia.

April 22, 2012 – Finishes second, to Francois Hollande, in the first round of France’s presidential elections.

May 6, 2012 – Is defeated by Hollande in the presidential election runoff.

July 3, 2012 – Police raid Sarkozy’s home and office amid an investigation into claims of illegal campaign financing. The investigation is centered around whether L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt illegally helped Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign.

March 21, 2013 – Is placed under formal investigation for breach of trust. He is accused of taking advantage of Bettencourt to help fund his 2007 campaign.

October 7, 2013 – Charges against Sarkozy for alleged illegal campaign financing are dropped.

July 2, 2014 – Is placed under formal investigation in connection with suspected corruption and influence peddling. The case is later suspended.

November 29, 2014 – Is elected head of the UMP party.

May 2015 – The UMP party changes its name to the Republicans.

August 22, 2016 – Sarkozy announces he will run again for president.

November 20, 2016 – Sarkozy comes in third in France’s first Republican presidential primary.

February 7, 2017 – A French judge orders Sarkozy to face trial for campaign financing fraud. Sarkozy is accused of exceeding election expenses during his 2012 re-election campaign.

March 20, 2018 – Sarkozy is questioned by police over allegations he accepted money from Libya to finance his 2007 election campaign. According to an official, who did not want to be named, Sarkozy is being investigated by anti-corruption authorities.

January 8, 2020 – A Paris court announces that Sarkozy will stand trial on corruption charges. He is accused of trying to get classified information from a judge.

November 24, 2020 – Sarkozy’s corruption trial begins. If he is convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.

March 1, 2021 – Sarkozy is found guilty of trying to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate and sentenced to three years in prison with two years suspended.

September 30, 2021 – Sarkozy is sentenced to one year in prison for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, making him the first French head of state in modern times to receive two jail terms. The judge will allow him to serve his sentence at home, by wearing an electronic bracelet. All 13 co-defendants are also found guilty.