| − | '''Nicolas Sarkozy''' (born in 1955) is a [[France|French]] right-winged [[politics|politician]], who was [[2007 French presidential elections|elected]] [[President]] of France on May 6, 2007. He is a strong admirer of the [[United States]]<ref>[http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20070424-102752-8335r.htm "Sarkozy vs. Royal", The ''Washington Times'' Online]</ref>. Sarkozy has been the target of vicious [[leftist]] attacks since winning the French presidency.<ref>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/le-pen-brands-sarkozy-as-scum/story-e6frg6so-1111113355628</ref> | + | '''Nicolas Sarkozy''' (born in 1955) is a [[France|French]] [[neoconservative]] [[politics|politician]], who was [[2007 French presidential elections|elected]] [[President]] of France on May 6, 2007. He is a strong admirer of the [[United States]]<ref>[http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20070424-102752-8335r.htm "Sarkozy vs. Royal", The ''Washington Times'' Online]</ref>. Sarkozy has been the target of vicious [[leftist]] attacks since winning the French presidency.<ref>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/le-pen-brands-sarkozy-as-scum/story-e6frg6so-1111113355628</ref> Sarkozy championed a policy of foreign interventionalism, particularly in [[Libya]], that is characteristic of [[neoconservatives]] in [[Britain]] and the [[United States]], while downplaying the significance of social issues like [[marriage]]. |
| | Sarkozy was born in [[Paris]] in 1955 to a French mother of Greek Jewish origin (the daughter of a Greek immigrant born to the Mallah family, one of the oldest Jewish families of Salonika, Greece <ref> [http://www.pascalsview.com/pascalsview/2007/05/nicolas-sarkozys-jewish-heritage.html Nicolas Sarkozy’s Jewish Heritage.] </ref>) and a [[Hungarian]] father (real name: Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa) who had escaped [[Communism]]. Sarkozy attended law school at the University of Paris, and also studied at the Institute of Political Studies. In 1983, at the age of 28, he became [[mayor]] of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a major suburb of Paris. He was elected to the French [[Parliament|National Assembly]] in 1988 and named minister in 1993. From 2002 to 2007 he served as interior minister and budget minister during which time he burnished his reputation as a tough-on-crime and straightforward politician. On January 14, 2007, he was chosen by the [[UMP|Union pour un Mouvement Populaire]] (UMP), France's main conservative party, as its candidate for president. | | Sarkozy was born in [[Paris]] in 1955 to a French mother of Greek Jewish origin (the daughter of a Greek immigrant born to the Mallah family, one of the oldest Jewish families of Salonika, Greece <ref> [http://www.pascalsview.com/pascalsview/2007/05/nicolas-sarkozys-jewish-heritage.html Nicolas Sarkozy’s Jewish Heritage.] </ref>) and a [[Hungarian]] father (real name: Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa) who had escaped [[Communism]]. Sarkozy attended law school at the University of Paris, and also studied at the Institute of Political Studies. In 1983, at the age of 28, he became [[mayor]] of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a major suburb of Paris. He was elected to the French [[Parliament|National Assembly]] in 1988 and named minister in 1993. From 2002 to 2007 he served as interior minister and budget minister during which time he burnished his reputation as a tough-on-crime and straightforward politician. On January 14, 2007, he was chosen by the [[UMP|Union pour un Mouvement Populaire]] (UMP), France's main conservative party, as its candidate for president. |