Nicolas Sarkozy

The wedding bells first rang for him on September 23, 1982 when he tied the knot with Marie Dominique Culioli. The couple was blessed with two children, Pierre and Jean. Following years of separation, they legally divorced in 1996.

In 1996, he married for a second time to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz. Following year, they were blessed with a son, Loius. The relationship which was smoothly sailing had a turbulent phase during which both Cecilia and he had extra marital affairs, which lead up to divorce in 2007.

In 2008, he wedded for a third time to Carla Bruni, an Italian born singer. She bore him a daughter in 2011, Giulia.

Nicolas Sarkozy was born as Nicolas Paul Stephane Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa to Greek and Hungarian immigrant parents. His father, Pal Istvan Erno Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa, abandoned the family when Nicolas was a toddler.

Raised as a Catholic by his grandparents, Nicolas’ paternal grandfather influenced his personality and shaped much of what he was. It was the absence of his father and the feeling of being inferior to wealthier classmates that caused much resentment to him as a child.

Academically mediocre, he attended a private Catholic school, Cours Saint-Louis de Monceau. In 1973, obtaining his baccalaureat, he enrolled at the Universite Paris X Nanterre. He secured an MA and later a DEA degree, specializing in private and business law.

It was while at the university that he got involved in politics. An arch supporter of right-wing student organization, he participated actively in the activities of the organisation.

His political career started young, as he became the municipal councillor of the Neuilly-sur Seine area when he was 23. Upon the death of Mayor Achille Peretti, he was promoted to the latter’s office. He served as the Mayor for about two decades, from 1983 until 2002.

Meanwhile, he was elected as a deputy in the National Assembly in 1988. From 1993 until 1995, he served as the Minister for the Budget for Prime Minister Edouard Balladur.

In 1995 presidential elections, Sarkozy supported Edouard Balladur against Jacques Chirac. Chirac won the elections and as a result Sarkozy lost his position as Minister for the Budget.

Post two years of hiatus he returned to action—after the right-wing defeat at the 1997 parliamentary election—as the number two candidate of the Rally for the Republic (RPR).

In 1999, he became the leade of the RPR but in the European Parliament elections held that year his party performed badly and as a result Sarkozy lost the RPR leadership.

He was bestowed with the Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2004 which was promoted to Grand Cross Legion of Honor in 2007 when he took the office of the President of France. Same time, he was also conferred upon with Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit.

He is the proud recipient of honorary awards and decorations from various other countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Georgia, Italy, Holy See, Monaco, Spain, Ukraine and United Kingdom.