The presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy began on 16 May 2007 when
Nicolas Sarkozy became the sixth President of the
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic (french: Cinquième République) is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. The Fifth Republic emerged from ...
, following his victory in the
2007 presidential election. A candidate of the conservative
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...
(UMP), he nominated
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of the Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
as Prime minister, who formed a composite government, a bit modified following the UMP's relative victory during the
June legislative election. Although the UMP had not obtained a majority as large as expected, Nicolas Sarkozy could launch the reforms he had pledged as a candidate as soon as he was elected. However, he tried to open his government to the opposition party, appointing several politicians close to the opposition parties.
With the
quinquennat
A constitutional referendum was held in France on 24 September 2000.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p674 The proposal to reduce the mandate (politics), mandate of the President of the French Repub ...
reform of 2000, the president of the republic has a five-year term to lead freely the domestic policy he wants, if ever he obtains the majority at the legislative election, which is very likely to occur. Traditionally, according to the
Constitution of the French Fifth Republic
The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic , and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a Consti ...
, the main role of the President of the Republic is to determine the foreign policy of the nation, while the Prime Minister is entrusted with leading the domestic policy. However, as François Fillon was politically very close to the President, Nicolas Sarkozy could be very active both in foreign relations and in domestic reforms. French journalists have called him a "
hyper-président", to insist on his will to solve many important problems and his omnipresence in all domains.
Some media even compared him with
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
to refer to his will to control and change everything. While the popularity of the president was very high at the beginning of his mandate, it rapidly declined during the first months of his mandate, and the government faced several protests.
The presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy was marked by the
global financial and economic crisis. As President-in-Office of the
European Council during the last six months of 2008, and as the president of a member country of the
G-8 and the
G-20
The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, ...
, Nicolas Sarkozy was very much involved in the international debates and propositions to fight against the crisis. He had also to cope with the economic and social effects of the crisis in France. In particular, he had to renounce to reduce the public deficit as he had promised, and instead he had to launch a stimulus package, as part of the
2008 European Union stimulus plan
On 26 November 2008, the European Commission proposed a European stimulus plan (also referred to as the European Economic Recovery Plan) amounting to 200 billion euros to cope with the effects of the global financial crisis on the econom ...
, to limit social discontentment. As he had promised to reach full-employment and to boost the economic growth, he faced growing protest. In the
2012 presidential elections, Sarkozy was defeated by Socialist
François Hollande by a margin of 3.2%.
Transfer of power
Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president on 6 May 2007, but the official transmission of power took place ten days after. In this period of time, he could not exercise his power nor begin appointing a government. Between 7 and 9 May, he left on holidays with his family off
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
on board a yacht lent by a friend of M.Sarkozy's,
Vincent Bolloré
Vincent Bolloré (born 1 April 1952) is a French billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of the investment group Bolloré. As of September 2021, his net worth is estimated at US$9 billion.
Early life
Bolloré was born in Boulogne-B ...
. This trip gave rise to some criticism in the media, because Vincent Bolloré was the chairman of the
Bolloré Group, one of the biggest and most powerful French conglomerates. However, a poll showed that a majority of people found that this trip was not shocking.
The official transfer of power from
Jacques Chirac took place on 16 May at 11:00 am (9:00 UTC) at the
Élysée Palace, where
Nicolas Sarkozy was given the nuclear codes of the
French nuclear arsenal and presented with the Grand Master's Collar, symbol of his new function of Grand Master of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
. At that point, he formally became president. ''
Leyenda'', by Spanish composer
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his conte ...
was played in honour of the president's wife. Both Sarkozy's mother Andrée, and his formerly estranged father Pal – with whom Sarkozy had reached a
reconciliation
Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to:
Accounting
* Reconciliation (accounting)
Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture
* ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...
– attended the ceremony, as did Sarkozy's children.
The presidential
motorcade then travelled from the Élysée to the
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...
for a public ceremony at the
Arc de Triomphe. Then the new president went to the Cascade du
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
of Paris for a homage to the
French Resistance
The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
and to the
Communist resistant
Guy Moquet – he proposed that all high-school students read Guy Moquet's last letter to his parents, which was criticized by a number of leftists as a cynical form of reappropriation of French history by the right.
In the afternoon, the new president flew to Berlin to meet with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...
.
Appointment of the government
Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
In his career working at the Ministry ...
was replaced by
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of the Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
on 17 May. Sarkozy appointed
Bernard Kouchner, the left-wing founder of
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. ...
, as his foreign minister, leading to Kouchner's expulsion from the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
. In addition to Kouchner, three more Sarkozy ministers are from the left, including
Eric Besson
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
, who served as
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election.
Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...
's economic adviser at the beginning of her campaign. Sarkozy also appointed seven women to form a total cabinet of 15; one, Justice Minister
Rachida Dati
Rachida Dati (; ar, رشيدة داتي, link=no; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament, representing Île-de-France. Prior to her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Sea ...
, is the first woman of Northern African origin to serve in a French cabinet. Of the 15, only two attended the elite
École nationale d'administration
The École nationale d'administration (generally referred to as ENA, en, National School of Administration) was a French ''grande école'', created in 1945 by President Charles de Gaulle and principal author of the 1958 Constitution Michel Deb ...
(ENA) . The ministers were reorganized, with the controversial creation of a
Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-Development – given to his right-hand man
Brice Hortefeux
Brice Hortefeux (born 11 May 1958) is a conservative French politician. He was Minister of the Interior, Overseas Territories and Territorial collectivities. He was previously Minister for Labour, Labour Relations, the Family, Solidarity and Ur ...
– and of a
Ministry of Budget, Public Accounts and Civil Administration
The Ministry of Public Action and Accounts ( French: ''Ministère de l'Action et des Comptes publics'') is a ministry of the Government of France. It was created by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, when he split the Ministry of Finance and the ...
– handed out to
Éric Wœrth, supposed to prepare the replacement of only a third of all civil servants who retire.
![François Fillon à l'Assemblée nationale, 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Fran%C3%A7ois_Fillon_%C3%A0_l%27Assembl%C3%A9e_nationale%2C_2007.jpg)
The
UMP, Sarkozy's party, won a majority at the
June 2007 legislative election, although by less than expected. The presidential party only gained 318 seats out of 577.
First reforms
In July, the UMP majority, seconded by the ''
Nouveau Centre
The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly known as New Centre (''Nouveau Centre'', NC) and European Social Liberal Party (''Parti Social Libéral Européen'', PSLE), is a centre-right political party in France formed by the members of ...
'', approved one of Sarkozy's electoral promise, which was to quasi-suppress the
inheritance tax. The inheritance tax used to bring eight billion euros into state coffers. This reform was included in a
fiscal stimulus package that allegedly aimed at reviving the economic growth. However, the
TEPA Law, another measure of the stimulus package, sparked a polemic because it seemed to favour richest households through tax cuts.
Furthermore, Sarkozy cut with the custom of
amnesty
Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...
ing traffic tickets and of releasing some prisoners from overcrowded jails on
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
, a tradition that
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
had started in 1802 to commemorate the
storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At ...
during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
[Molly Moore]
France's Sarkozy Off to a Running Start
''Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'', 4 August 2007
Fillon's government issued a
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
on 7 August 2007 to generalize a voluntary
biometric
Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...
profiling program of travellers in airports. The program, called ''
Parafes'', was to use fingerprints. The
new database would be interconnected with the
Schengen Information System
The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a governmental database maintained by the European Commission. The SIS is used by 31 European countries to find information about individuals and entities for the purposes of national security, border c ...
(SIS) as well as with a national database of wanted persons (
Fichier des personnes recherchées, FPR). The
CNIL protested against this new decree, opposing itself to the recording of fingerprints and to the interconnection between the SIS and the FPR.
[Généralisation du fichage biométrique volontaire des voyageurs dans les aéroports français]
, ''Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', 8 August 2007
In November 2007, Sarkozy faced his first domestic test when workers from the public sector
struck to protest his domestic reform policies.
At the same time, there were also the
university protests in response to a
polemical law supported by the UMP,
MoDem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
and
Nouveau Centre
The Centrists (french: Les Centristes, LC), formerly known as New Centre (''Nouveau Centre'', NC) and European Social Liberal Party (''Parti Social Libéral Européen'', PSLE), is a centre-right political party in France formed by the members of ...
that reforms the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
system in France. The first debates on the
reform of French health care system were also tough.
First international actions
Shortly after taking office, President Sarkozy began negotiations with
Colombian president
Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010.
Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...
and the left-wing guerrilla
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...
, regarding the release of hostages held by the rebel group, especially Franco-Colombian politician
Ingrid Betancourt. According to some sources, Sarkozy himself asked for Uribe to release FARC's "chancellor"
Rodrigo Granda
Ricardo González also known as Rodrigo Granda is a Colombian Venezuelan, member of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He has served as international spokesman of the guerrilla organization. He currently faces criminal charges in Paragu ...
.
Release of Bulgarian nurses
During his investiture speech as President beginning of May 2007, Sarkozy had alluded to the Bulgarian nurses detained in Libya, declaring: "France will be to the sides of the Libyan nurses detained for 8 years..."
[ French language: "''La France sera aux côtés des infirmières libyennes enfermées depuis huit ans…''"]
Vidéo : Premier discours du président Sarkozy
RFI, 6 May 2007
He announced on 24 July 2007, that French and European representatives had obtained the extradition of the
Bulgarian nurses detained in Libya to their country. In exchange, he signed with
Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
security, health care and immigration pacts – and a $230 million (168 million euros)
MILAN
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
antitank missile sale.
[Les coulisses de la libération des infirmières bulgares]
''Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', 3 August 2007 The contract was the first made by Libya since 2004, and was negotiated with
MBDA
MBDA is a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles.[MBDA Inc. US Division Co ...](_blank)
, a subsidiary of
EADS. Another 128 million euro contract would have been signed, according to Tripoli, with
EADS for a
TETRA radio system. The
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
(PS) and the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
(PCF) criticized a "state affair" and a "barter" with a "
Rogue state
"Rogue state" (or sometimes "outlaw state") is a term applied by some international theorists to states that they consider threatening to the world's peace. These states meet certain criteria, such as being ruled by authoritarian or totalitari ...
". The leader of the PS,
François Hollande, requested the opening of a parliamentary investigation.
[
Additionally, President Sarkozy pledged to sell Libya three civil nuclear power stations as part of a package of trade and assistance that will boost the role of French companies in the oil-rich country. During his visit to Libya on 25 July 2007, Sarkozy signed an agreement of cooperation on civil nuclear technology. He decided to build three civil ]nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...
stations to the Libyan state.Christopher Dickey
Christopher Swift Dickey (August 31, 1951 – July 16, 2020) was an American journalist, author, and news editor. He was the Paris-based world news editor for ''The Daily Beast''. He authored seven books, including ''Our Man in Charleston: Brita ...
The Politics of Blackmail – Libya's 'Immoral' Games with the West
''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'', 1 August 2007[Christophe Châtelot]
Le chef du renseignement bulgare évoque un écheveau de contacts secrets
''Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', 1 August 2007 According to Paris, the nuclear power stations are meant for desalinization
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltw ...
of sea water,[Germans attack Libya nuclear deal]
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' has pointed out that the Libyans quickly bypassed any reference to desalinization.
This deal was criticized by the French left-wing and also by German governmental sources, including Deputy Foreign Minister
.