With slightly more than 53% of the votes, Nicolas Sarkozy beat rival Ségolène Royale on May 6th the 23rd to become the president of the French Republic, a victory judged even more decisive in light of the exceptional voter turnout. Of more than 44 million registered voters, 35 million made their way to the ballot boxes for one of the highest voter turnouts ever recorded (85%). Only the second round of the 1974 presidential election mobilized a greater percentage of the population.

The man
Son of a Hungarian immigrant who arrived in France in 1928, Sarkozy was born in Paris in 1955.
Thus, he became the first French president to be a second generation immigrant.
Twice married, he has three sons.
A lawyer specialized in real estate, Nicolas Sarkozy was an associate in a Parisian firm, but his entry into politics prevented him from continuing in that career path.

Politically precocious
Active democrat since he was 19, Nicolas Sarkozy became president of the committee of young Chiracians in 1980. Three years later, he became the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine (near Paris) at the age of 28. At 34, he was elected as a European deputy and became the minister of the budget at 38.

Crossing the desert to reach the peak
In 1995, Nicolas Sarkozy decided to no longer support Jacques Chirac, though he won the presidential elections. Accused of "treason" by his own political peers, Nicolas Sarkozy retired from politics in 1999 after a new failure in the European elections. He returned to practicing law.
In 2002, he returned to Jacques Chirac who, reelected, offered him the position of minister of the Interior. Starting from that moment, Nicolas Sarkozy never ceased his upward ascent. Between different appointments as Minister of the Interior and of the Economy, he became president of the UMP party (Union for a presidential majority) of Jacques Chirac, the majority party in France. He declared his intentions to run for president early and was designated as the candidate for the UMP by more than 98% of its members.

Président de la République
May 6, 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of the French Republic with more than 53% of the vote. He took office on May 16th, replacing Jacques Chirac.