Nicolas Sarkozy, the 23rd President of France, was born to Pál Sárközy von Nagybócsa, a Hungarian journalist, and Andrée Mallah, a French lawyer. His father hailed from a Hungarian count family. After World War II, Sarkozy's family fled to Germany via Austria to escape the Red Army's invasion of Hungary.
Sarkozy studied public law and political science in college, and after graduating, he was admitted to the bar in 1981. He began his political career in 1977, serving on the municipal council of Neuilly-sur-Seine. In 1983, he was elected mayor of Neuilly, a position he held for 19 years until 2002.
Sarkozy married Marie-Dominique Culioli in 1983, and they had two sons, Pierre and Jean. He also served as a deputy in the regional council of Île-de-France from 1983 to 1988 and headed the "Delegation to combat chemical and radioactive risks" in the Ministry of the Interior from 1987 to 1988.
In 1988, Sarkozy received his first parliamentary mandate for the neo-Gaullist RPR. He became budget minister and government spokesman under Jacques Chirac from March 30, 1993, to May 11, 1995. However, in the 1995 presidential election campaign, Sarkozy surprisingly decided against his mentor Chirac and supported the eventual loser, Edouard Balladur.
Sarkozy married Cécilia Maria Sara Isabel Ciganer Albeniz in 1996, and they had a son, Louis, in 1997. He temporarily stepped back from the political scene in France. Sarkozy returned to politics in 2002, becoming French Minister of the Interior in the Raffarin government. He was later appointed "super minister" for the economy, finance, and industry, but resigned in November 2004 due to pressure from President Chirac.
On November 28, 2004, Sarkozy was elected leader of the UMP. He became a controversial figure during the Paris riots in 2005, using the term "rabble" to describe the rioters. Sarkozy won the 2007 presidential election with 53.06% of the vote, defeating Ségolène Royal in the second round. He was sworn into office on May 16, 2007.
As President, Sarkozy held the role of co-prince regent for the Principality of Andorra. He resigned from the presidency of the UMP on May 14, 2007. Sarkozy married Italian-French singer Carla Bruni on February 2, 2008, in Paris.
