Nicolas Sarkozy (born 28 January 1955)[2] is a French politician. He was the 23rd President of France and, because of that position, ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra from 16 May 2007 to 15 May 2012 succeeding Jacques Chirac.
Nicolas Sarkozy was known for his conservative law and order politics and his admiration for a new economic model for France during his presidency. He wanted a more liberalised economy for France because he saw the United States and the United Kingdom as positive examples. Until 26 March 2007, he was the Minister of the Interior of France. His nickname Sarko was used by both supporters and opponents. On 6 May 2012, Sarkozy was defeated in the 2012 election by Socialist François Hollande by a margin of 3.2%, or 1,139,983 votes. After leaving the office, Sarkozy pretended to retire from political life. As a former president, Sarkozy is entitled to de jure membership in the Constitutional Council. He retired from the council a few months later.
Corruption trial
On 23 November 2020, a corruption trial started. He was accused for an attempted bribery of a judge. The trial was postponed until November 26, following a request from one of his co-defendants for health reasons.[3]
On March 1, 2021, a court in Paris found former Sarkozy guilty of corruption, trading in influence in a wiretapping and illegal data exchange. Sarkozy and his two co-defendants were sentenced to three years, two of them suspended, and one in prison.[4][5][6] On December 18, 2024, the Court of Cassation rejected Nicolas Sarkozy's appeal in cassation and the co-defendants, thus making Nicolas Sarkozy's conviction final, who immediately announced that they would refer the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.[7]
He appeals the court decision immediatly, and contests the partiality of the judges whom he considers to be a reference of a certain non-objective left-wing morality.
Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics. Acting heads of state are denoted by an asterisk. Millerand held the presidency in an acting capacity before being fully elected.
