Sarkozy, Nicolas

   born 1955. President of France 2007-2012. Conservative politician. As Minister of the Interior (Home Secretary) under Jacques Chirac, and president of the conservative UMP party, Sarkozy earned a reputation as a tough-talking no-nonsense hard-liner. He became the bugbear of the Socialist opposition, and the bogeyman of the far left, to the extent that the 2007 presidential election was as much about stopping Sarkozy as about electing a president. In the end, Sarkozy emerged as the most convincing candidate, and won the election with a clear majority. The son of a Hungarian immigrant, Sarkozy has a background very different from that or any other recent French president. More Atlanticist, less nationalistic, he has set about strengthening links betwen France and the USA and France and the UK, while reaffirming links with France's continental neighbours. He has also sought to strengthen the links betwen the countries surrounding the Mediterranean.