Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa was born on January 28, 1955, in Paris. His father was born in Budapest and came from a Hungarian noble family. His mother, of Greek-Jewish descent, was from Thessaloniki. They met in France, where Nicolas’s father’s family fled from Hungary in 1944 to escape the advancing Red Army. Nicolas Sarkozy was described as an energetic, sometimes stubborn, and determined child.
He was raised in an ambitious family environment that placed great emphasis on education and success. As the son of immigrants, he felt the need to prove his worth. He studied law at the University of Paris X – Nanterre, continued in political science at Sciences Po, and graduated from the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration (ENA), where France’s top civil servants and politicians are trained. There, he stood out as a very hardworking, determined, and ambitious student who quickly learned to navigate the political landscape.
Rapid rise
Although Nicolas Sarkozy was only 28 years old, he became mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a wealthy suburb of Paris. He quickly managed to win over voters. His prestigious education, family connections in local politics, and charisma allowed him to present himself as a competent and modern leader. He met personally with residents and pushed through practical solutions, which – combined with the town’s right-wing leanings – created ideal conditions for his early political success. In 1988, he was elected as a member of parliament representing the conservative party. Later, he served in ministerial positions, focusing on tax reforms and modernization of economic policy.
The little Napoleon
He was known for his strict stance on security and immigration. He introduced tougher rules for obtaining residence and citizenship, particularly targeting illegal immigrants. He supported the repatriation of foreigners who broke the law or were deemed threats to public safety, and promoted increased police presence in the streets, especially in crime-plagued neighborhoods. His swift and forceful crackdowns on crime – gangs, violence, and vandalism – as well as tougher penalties for repeat offenders and juvenile delinquents, made him a deeply polarizing figure. Because of his style and decisions, which often stirred controversy, Nicolas Sarkozy was perceived as overly aggressive and authoritarian, earning the nickname “the little Napoleon.” His height of 165 cm only reinforced the image. As finance minister and later president – a position he assumed in 2007 – he supported raising the retirement age for certain groups of workers to reduce pressure on public finances. He pushed for reforms that adjusted pension calculations and introduced stricter rules for obtaining a full pension. However, the way he presented and enforced the reforms led to protests and strikes. Sarkozy ran for president again for a second term but lost to Socialist François Hollande. After the defeat, he temporarily withdrew from politics. Between 2014 and 2016, he attempted a comeback to lead the right-wing UMP party and planned to run again in the 2017 presidential election.
Residence of French presidents – the Élysée Palace.
Criminal investigations
He eventually withdrew from public life as multiple criminal investigations emerged, mainly regarding campaign financing and corruption allegations. In 2021, Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of attempting to influence a judge. His lawyer allegedly promised the judge a prestigious post in Monaco in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into the financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign. He was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, with one year to be served under house arrest with an ankle monitor. The verdict became final in December 2024. Given his age, he was conditionally released, and the monitor was removed in May 2025. The legal proceedings, however, continued. On January 6, 2025, a new trial began, in which he was accused of accepting millions of euros from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and of illegally financing his successful 2007 campaign. The reason Sarkozy was not allowed to receive money from Libya was both legal and political: foreign funding of presidential campaigns in France is prohibited to prevent outside influence on elections. Accepting such money constitutes a violation of campaign financing laws and potentially a criminal offense. In Sarkozy’s case, the courts ruled that the money allegedly provided by Gaddafi’s regime for his campaign was illegal.
A five-year sentence
On September 25, 2025, the Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison, three of them suspended on probation, for criminal conspiracy. He was found guilty of allowing his associates to establish contact with individuals in Libya in order to obtain money for his election campaign. After the verdict was announced, the former president stated that he would appeal the decision and, although he disagreed with it, he would comply with the order to begin serving his sentence. “If they are determined to send me back to prison, I will sleep in prison – but with my head held high,” said Sarkozy, who called the verdict unjust. In his own words, he remains convinced of his innocence. After Sarkozy begins his prison term, the appeal process is expected to accelerate, likely in the first half of 2026. He will also be eligible to request conditional release, but imprisonment is now unavoidable.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni in Paris, 2024..
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Nicolas Sarkozy (born January 28, 1955, in Paris) is a former French president.
In 1983, at age 28, he became mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, and in 1988, he was elected to parliament.
From 1993 to 1995, he served as Minister of Finance. From 2002, he was Minister of the Interior for two years and became Minister of the Economy in 2004. In 2007, he was elected President of France after defeating Ségolène Royal.
In 2012, he lost the presidential election to François Hollande. This was followed by investigations into illegal campaign financing and corruption. In 2021, he was sentenced to three years in prison, two of them suspended, so he did not serve time behind bars. In 2025, he was sentenced to five years for accepting money from Libya to fund his 2007 campaign, becoming the first former French president to receive an unconditional prison sentence.
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