EU-Digest: Nicholas Sarkozy wins French Presidential election

A special EU-Digest report on the French Presidential election

Nicholas Sarkozy wins French Presidential election

Nicholas Sarkozy the newly elected President of France (born on 28 January 1955) is the son of an immigrant father from Hungary and a French mother of Greek and Jewish background. But what makes Sarkozy most atypical in the French political landscape is that he did not study at the École Nationale d'Administration. He was not even a civil servant, like 60 percent of his fellow members of the National Assembly, but rather a corporate lawyer who admires CEOs and economic success.

In his victory speech following his election victory tonight Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his support for the EU and the US, while also calling on the Americans not to block measures on climate change.

Addressing France's role in Europe, Sarkozy declared himself a life-long European, expressing his belief in European construction and said his victory marks the end of the turmoil in the debate about the future of Europe that started after France, together with the Netherlands, rejected the proposed European constitution. "Today, France is back in Europe," Sarkozy told his supporters. "I urge our partners to hear the voice of our peoples who wish to be protected. I urged them not to ignore the anger of our people. The EU should not be a trojan horse for the changes that are taking place worldwide."

"France has chosen change and I will implement that change," he told supporters less than 45 minutes after France's main television stations declared him the victor. "Together write a new page in France's history. This page wil be a great, beautiful page," he said. as he reached out to the 47% of the electorate who voted for Segolene Royal, saying he wants to be a president for all French people, and not just those who voted for him.

Sarkozy told the US , "France will always be by their side when they need her, but that crucially -- friends can sometimes differ." He focused on climate change, where he highlighted his difference with America."What is at stake is the destiny of mankind. France will make that fight its leading objective", he said.

Sarkozy who has campaigned on tough measures against illegal immigration also addressing this issues in his victory speech. He said that he wants to help Africans build a future in their own country, emphasizing that."It's in the mediterranean that their future is held," he said. "There is a dream of an emerging civilisation there. We should do for them now what was done for Europe sixty years ago."

The French presidential election was a great success for democracy in Europe. French voters turned out in record numbers with 85 percent of the voters casting their ballot. In comparison there was only a 55.3% turnout in the heated US 2004 Presidential election and just 37 % in the year 2000 when George W. Bush was elected for the first time.