January 4, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Profile of Nicolas Sarkozy, FranceÕs fast rising political star
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, January 4, Graphic News:  The recent election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the leadership of FranceÕs ruling Union for a Popular Movement signals not just another rung on the career ladder for the ambitious and popular politician but also a victory in the ongoing war of ideas that will shape the future of France. No wonder then that President Jacques Chirac is worried.

Sarkozy, who in November 2004 took over leadership of the party Chirac created a year earlier, presents the public with a stark reality: France too, whose social model and traditions have remained long unchanged by Chirac and other old-style leaders, can change.

Sarkozy was always going to be different. Born in 1955 to a Hungarian immigrant father and a Greek-Jewish mother, he did not attend the Ecole Nationale dÕAdministration, the civil service college that is the usual route into government, but trained as a lawyer and worked his way up through party ranks to become mayor of Neuilly, a suburb of Paris.

Once a loyal follower of the more conservative Chirac, the first sign that he would eventually present a threat to the president came in 1995, when he threw his backing behind Edouard Balladur. Chirac reportedly repaid him by not speaking to him for three and a half years, but Sarkozy emerged from the political wilderness more ambitious and hungrier for power than ever. He has left no doubt that he is aiming for the top job.

Before taking over as finance minister, Sarkozy held the interior portfolio, where he developed ideas on immigration that have won plaudits for being progressive: Sarko, as he has been dubbed at home, advocates strict separation of church and state, affirmative action for minorities and public funding for mosques to limit foreign influence.

As finance minister, he demonstrated the same determination to reform, selling stakes in state enterprises and trimming the budget deficit. Though France has a strong social model and thriving economy, Sarkozy is adamant that change is necessary to maintain these advantages. He looks to Britain and Spain, not Germany, for inspiration.

Sarkozy has been compared to Bill Clinton and Tony Blair in his approach to politics, favouring clear cut solutions over maintaining tradition for its own sake. That may be one reason why he appears to be more in touch with a changing world than Chirac, who is 22 years his senior. Sarkozy presents the public with a vision of a future France.

SarkozyÕs France will not rely on the old Franco-German axis to defend its interests in Europe and the wider world. Instead, it is at the heart of a bigger European core that includes Britain and Poland. Similarly, he wants warmer relations with the United States, arguing that this is the best way for his country to remain a key world power.

In short, he is offering the French electorate a chance to help their country to adapt. The chances are that, if he is presented to them at presidential elections in 2007, they will take it.
/ENDS