|
- published: 11 Jul 2013
- views: 1044
- author: Le Figaro
François Hollande | |
---|---|
Hollande in Nantes (2012) | |
24th President of France | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 15 May 2012 |
|
Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault |
Preceded by | Nicolas Sarkozy |
Co-Prince of Andorra | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 15 May 2012 Serving with Joan Enric Vives Sicília |
|
Prime Minister | Antoni Martí |
Representative | Christian Frémont |
Preceded by | Nicolas Sarkozy |
President of the General Council of Corrèze | |
In office 20 March 2008 – 15 May 2012 |
|
Preceded by | Jean-Pierre Dupont |
Succeeded by | Gérard Bonnet (Acting) |
First Secretary of the Socialist Party | |
In office 27 November 1997 – 27 November 2008 |
|
Preceded by | Lionel Jospin |
Succeeded by | Martine Aubry |
Mayor of Tulle | |
In office 17 March 2001 – 17 March 2008 |
|
Preceded by | Raymond-Max Aubert |
Succeeded by | Bernard Combes |
Deputy of the National Assembly for Corrèze's 1st Constituency |
|
In office 12 June 1997 – 15 May 2012 |
|
Preceded by | Raymond-Max Aubert |
Succeeded by | TBD |
In office 12 June 1988 – 16 May 1993 |
|
Preceded by | Proportional representation |
Succeeded by | Raymond-Max Aubert |
Personal details | |
Born | François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (1954-08-12) 12 August 1954 (age 57) Rouen, France |
Political party | Socialist Party |
Domestic partner | Ségolène Royal (1978–2007) Valérie Trierweiler (2005–present) |
Children | Thomas Clémence Julien Flora |
Alma mater | School of High Commercial Studies, Paris Institute of Political Studies, Paris National School of Administration, Strasbourg |
Signature |
Styles of François Hollande |
|
---|---|
Reference style | Son Excellence (Monsieur) |
Spoken style | Monsieur le Président |
Styles of François Hollande |
|
---|---|
Reference style | His Serene Highness |
Spoken style | Your Serene Highness |
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa ɔlɑ̃d]; born 12 August 1954) is the 24th President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He previously served as the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party from 1997 to 2008 and as a Deputy of the National Assembly of France for Corrèze's 1st Constituency from 1988 to 1993 and then again from 1997 to 2012. He also served as the Mayor of Tulle from 2001 to 2008 and the President of the General Council of Corrèze from 2008 to 2012.
He was elected President of France on 6 May 2012, defeating the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, and was inaugurated on 15 May.[1] He is the second Socialist President of the Fifth French Republic, after François Mitterrand who served from 1981 to 1995.
Contents |
Hollande was born in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, to a middle-class family. His mother, Nicole Frédérique Marguerite Tribert (1927–2009), was a social worker, and his father, Georges Gustave Hollande, an ear, nose, and throat doctor who "had once run for the extreme right in local politics."[2][3][4][5][6] The surname "Hollande" is "believed to come from Calvinist ancestors who escaped Holland (the Netherlands) in the 16th century and took the name of their old country."[7] Hollande was raised Catholic but quietly rebelled against the strict religious brothers chosen by his father to educate him.[7] The family moved to Neuilly, a suburb of Paris, when Hollande was 13.[8]
He attended Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle boarding school, then HEC Paris, École nationale d'administration, and the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies). He graduated from ENA in 1980.[9][10] He lived in the United States in the summer of 1974 while he was a university student.[11] Immediately after graduating, he was employed as a councillor in the Court of Audit.
After volunteering as a student to work for François Mitterrand's ultimately unsuccessful campaign in the 1974 presidential election, Hollande joined the Socialist Party five years later. He was quickly spotted by Jacques Attali, a senior adviser to Mitterrand, who arranged for Hollande to stand for election to the French National Assembly in 1981 in Corrèze against future President Jacques Chirac, who was then the Leader of the Rally for the Republic, a Neo-Gaullist party. Hollande lost to Chirac in the first round, although he would go on to become a Special Adviser to the newly-elected President Mitterrand, before serving as a staffer for Max Gallo, the government's spokesman. After becoming a Municipal Councillor for Ussel in 1983, he contested Corrèze for a second time in 1988, this time being elected to the National Assembly. Hollande lost his bid for re-election to the National Assembly in the so-called "blue wave" of the 1993 election, described as such due to the number of seats gained by the Right at the expense of the Socialist Party.
As the end of Mitterrand's term in office approached, the Socialist Party was torn by a struggle of internal factions, each seeking to influence the direction of the party. Hollande pleaded for reconciliation and for the party to unite behind Jacques Delors, the President of the European Commission, but Delors renounced his ambitions to run for the French Presidency in 1995, leading to Lionel Jospin's resuming his earlier position as the leader of the party. Jospin selected Hollande to become the official party spokesman, and Hollande went on to contest Corrèze once again in 1997, successfully returning to the National Assembly. That same year, Jospin became the Prime Minister of France, and Hollande won the election for his successor as First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, a position he would hold for eleven years. Because of the very strong position of the Socialist Party within the French Government during this period, Hollande's position led some to refer to him the "Vice Prime Minister". Hollande would go on to be elected the Mayor of Tulle in 2001, an office he would hold for the next seven years.
The immediate resignation of Jospin from politics following his shock defeat by far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of the 2002 presidential election forced Hollande to become the public face of the party for the 2002 legislative election but, although he managed to limit defeats and was re-elected in his own constituency, the Socialists lost nationally. In order to prepare for the 2003 Party Congress in Dijon, he obtained the support of many notable personalities of the party and was re-elected First Secretary against opposition from left-wing factions. After the triumph of the Left in the 2004 regional elections, Hollande was cited as a potential presidential candidate, but the Socialists were divided on the European Constitution, and Hollande's support for the ill-fated "yes" position in the French referendum on the European Constitution caused friction within the party. Although Hollande was re-elected as First Secretary at the Le Mans Congress in 2005, his authority over the party began to decline from this point onwards. Eventually his domestic partner, Ségolène Royal, was chosen to represent the Socialist Party in the 2007 presidential election, where she would lose to Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande was widely blamed for the poor performances of the Socialist Party in the 2007 elections, and he announced that he would not seek another term as First Secretary. Hollande publicly declared his support for Bertrand Delanoë, the Mayor of Paris, although it was Martine Aubry who would go on to win the race to succeed him in 2008.
Following his resignation as First Secretary, Hollande was immediately elected to replace Jean-Pierre Dupont as the President of the General Council of Corrèze in April 2008, a position he holds to this day. In 2008 he supported the creation of the first European Prize for Local History (Étienne Baluze Prize), founded by the "Société des Amis du musée du cloître" of Tulle, on the suggestion of the French historian Jean Boutier. François Hollande awarded the first prize on 29 February 2008 to the Italian historian Beatrice Palmero in the General Council of Corrèze.
Following his re-election as President of the General Council of Corrèze in March 2011, Hollande announced that he would be a candidate in the upcoming primary election to select the Socialist and Radical Left Party presidential nominee.[12] The primary marked the first time that both parties had held an open primary to select a joint nominee at the same time. He initially trailed the front-runner, former Finance Minister and IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Following Strauss-Kahn's arrest on suspicion of sexual assault in New York City in May 2011, Hollande began to lead the opinion polls. His position as front-runner was established just as Strauss-Kahn declared that he would no longer be seeking the nomination. After a series of televised debates throughout September, Hollande topped the ballot in the first round held on 9 October with 39% of the vote, not gaining the 50% required to avoid a second ballot, which he would contest against Martine Aubry, who had come second with 30% of the vote.
The second ballot took place on 16 October 2011. Hollande won with 56% of the vote to Aubry's 43% and thus became the official Socialist and Radical Left Party candidate for the 2012 presidential election.[13] After the primary results, he immediately gained the pledged support of the other contenders for the party's nomination, including Aubry, Arnaud Montebourg, Manuel Valls and 2007 candidate Ségolène Royal.[14]
Hollande's presidential campaign was managed by Pierre Moscovici and Stéphane Le Foll, a Member of Parliament and Member of the European Parliament respectively.[15] Hollande launched his campaign officially with a rally and major speech at Le Bourget on 22 January 2012 in front of 25,000 people.[16][17] The main themes of his speech were equality and the regulation of finance, both of which he promised to make a key part of his campaign.[17]
On 26 January he outlined a full list of policies in a manifesto containing 60 propositions, including the separation of retail activities from riskier investment-banking businesses; raising taxes for big corporations, banks and the wealthy; creating 60,000 teaching jobs; bringing the official retirement age back down to 60 from 62; creating subsidised jobs in areas of high unemployment for the young; promoting more industry in France by creating a public investment bank; granting marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples; and pulling French troops out of Afghanistan in 2012.[18][19] On 9 February, he detailed his policies specifically relating to education in a major speech in Orléans.[20]
On 15 February, incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he would run for a second and final term, strongly criticising Hollande's proposals and claiming that he would bring about "economic disaster within two days of taking office" if he won.[21]
Hollande visited Berlin, Germany, in December 2011 for the Social Democrats Federal Party Congress, at which he met Sigmar Gabriel, Peer Steinbrück, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Martin Schulz;[22][23] he also travelled to Belgium before the United Kingdom in February 2012, where he met with Opposition Leader Ed Miliband; and finally Tunisia in May 2012.[24][25]
Opinion polls showed a tight race between the two men in the first round of voting, with most polls showing Hollande comfortably ahead of Sarkozy in a hypothetical second round run-off.[26]
The first round of the presidential election was held on 22 April. François Hollande came in first place with 28.63% of the vote, and faced Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round run-off.[27] In the second round of voting on 6 May 2012, François Hollande was elected President of the French Republic with 51.7% of the vote.[1]
François Hollande was elected President of France on 6 May 2012. He was inaugurated on 15 May, and shortly afterwards appointed Jean-Marc Ayrault to be his Prime Minister. He also appointed Benoît Puga to be his military chief of staff, Pierre-René Lemas as his General Secretary and Pierre Besnard as his Head of Cabinet.[28] On his first official visit to a foreign country in his capacity as President of France, the aeroplane transporting him was hit by lightning.[29] The plane returned safely to Paris where he took another flight to Germany.
For over 30 years, his partner was fellow Socialist politician Ségolène Royal, with whom he has four children – Thomas (1984), Clémence (1985), Julien (1987) and Flora (1992). In June 2007, just a month after Royal's defeat in the French presidential election of 2007, the couple announced that they were separating.[37]
A few months after his split from Ségolène Royal was announced, a French website published details of a relationship between Hollande and French journalist Valérie Trierweiler. This disclosure was controversial, as some considered it to be a breach of France's strict stance on the privacy of politicians' personal affairs. In November 2007, Valérie Trierweiler confirmed and openly discussed her relationship with Hollande in an interview with the French weekly Télé 7 Jours.
Hollande has had a large number of books and academic works published, including:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: François Hollande |
Party political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Lionel Jospin |
First Secretary of the Socialist Party 1997–2008 |
Succeeded by Martine Aubry |
Preceded by Ségolène Royal |
Socialist Party nominee for President of France 2012 |
Most recent |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Raymond-Max Aubert |
Mayor of Tulle 2001–2008 |
Succeeded by Bernard Combes |
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Dupont |
President of the General Council of Corrèze 2008–2012 |
Succeeded by Gérard Bonnet Acting |
Preceded by Nicolas Sarkozy |
President of France 2012–present |
Incumbent |
Regnal titles | ||
Preceded by Nicolas Sarkozy |
Co-Prince of Andorra 2012–present Served alongside: Joan Enric Vives Sicília |
Incumbent |
Catholic Church titles | ||
Preceded by Nicolas Sarkozy |
Honorary Canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran 2012–present |
Incumbent |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Hollande, Francois |
Alternative names | President Hollande |
Short description | French politician |
Date of birth | 12 August 1954 |
Place of birth | Rouen, Seine-Maritime |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Nicolas Sarkozy | |
---|---|
President of France | |
In office 16 May 2007 – 15 May 2012 |
|
Prime Minister | François Fillon |
Preceded by | Jacques Chirac |
Succeeded by | François Hollande |
Co-Prince of Andorra | |
In office 16 May 2007 – 15 May 2012 Served with Joan Enric Vives Sicília |
|
Prime Minister | Albert Pintat Jaume Bartumeu Pere López Agràs (Acting) Antoni Martí |
Representative | Philippe Massoni Emmanuelle Mignon Christian Frémont |
Preceded by | Jacques Chirac |
Succeeded by | François Hollande |
Minister of the Interior | |
In office 2 June 2005 – 26 March 2007 |
|
Prime Minister | Dominique de Villepin |
Preceded by | Dominique de Villepin |
Succeeded by | François Baroin |
In office 7 May 2002 – 30 March 2004 |
|
Prime Minister | Jean-Pierre Raffarin |
Preceded by | Daniel Vaillant |
Succeeded by | Dominique de Villepin |
President of the Union for a Popular Movement | |
In office 28 November 2004 – 14 May 2007 |
|
Vice President | Jean-Claude Gaudin |
Preceded by | Jean-Claude Gaudin (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Jean-Claude Gaudin (Acting) |
President of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine | |
In office 1 April 2004 – 14 May 2007 |
|
Preceded by | Charles Pasqua |
Succeeded by | Patrick Devedjian |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 31 March 2004 – 29 November 2004 |
|
Prime Minister | Jean-Pierre Raffarin |
Preceded by | Francis Mer |
Succeeded by | Hervé Gaymard |
Minister of the Budget | |
In office 30 March 1993 – 11 May 1995 |
|
Prime Minister | Édouard Balladur |
Preceded by | Michel Charasse |
Succeeded by | François d'Aubert |
Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine | |
In office 14 April 1983 – 7 May 2002 |
|
Preceded by | Achille Peretti |
Succeeded by | Louis-Charles Bary |
Personal details | |
Born | (1955-01-28) 28 January 1955 (age 57) Paris, France |
Political party | Rally for the Republic (Before 2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–present) |
Spouse(s) | Marie-Dominique Culioli (1982–1996) Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz (1996–2007) Carla Bruni (2008–present) |
Children | Pierre (by Culioli) Jean (by Culioli) Louis (by Ciganer-Albéniz) Giulia (by Bruni) |
Alma mater | Paris West University Nanterre La Défense Institute of Political Studies, Paris |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced [ni.kɔ.la saʁ.kɔ.zi] ( listen), born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa; 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as the 23rd President of the French Republic from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012.
Before his presidency, he was leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Under Jacques Chirac's presidency he served as Minister of the Interior in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's (UMP) first two governments (from May 2002 to March 2004), then was appointed Minister of Finances in Raffarin's last government (March 2004 to May 2005) and again Minister of the Interior in Dominique de Villepin's government (2005–2007).
Sarkozy was also president of the General council of the Hauts-de-Seine department from 2004 to 2007 and mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of the wealthiest communes of France from 1983 to 2002. He was Minister of the Budget in the government of Édouard Balladur (RPR, predecessor of the UMP) during François Mitterrand's last term.
In foreign affairs, he promised a strengthening of the entente cordiale with the United Kingdom[1] and closer cooperation with the United States.[2] During his term, he faced the late-2000s financial crisis (followed by the recession and the debt crisis caused by it) and the Arab Spring (especially in Tunisia, Libya, and Syria). He also married Italian-French singer-songwriter Carla Bruni on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
On 6 May 2012, Sarkozy was defeated in the 2012 election by Socialist François Hollande by a margin of 3.2 percent, or 1,139,983 votes.[3] After leaving the office, Sarkozy retired from political life.[4] As a former president, Sarkozy is entitled to de jure membership in the Constitutional Council.
Contents |
Sarkozy is the son of Pál István Ernő Sárközy de Nagy-Bócsa[5] (Hungarian: nagybócsai Sárközy Pál [nɒɟ͡ʝboːt͡ʃɒi ʃaːrkøzi paːl] ( listen); in some sources Nagy-Bócsay Sárközy Pál István Ernő),[6] a Hungarian aristocrat, and Andrée Jeanne "Dadu" Mallah (b. Paris, 12 October 1925), whose Greek Jewish father converted to Catholicism to marry her French Catholic mother.[7][8] They were married in the Saint-François-de-Sales church, 17th arrondissement of Paris, on 8 February 1950 and divorced in 1959.[9]
During Sarkozy's childhood, his father founded his own advertising agency and became wealthy. The family lived in a mansion owned by Sarkozy's maternal grandfather, Benedict Mallah, in the 17th Arrondissement of Paris. The family later moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of the wealthiest communes of the Île-de-France région immediately west of the 17th Arrondissement just outside of Paris. According to Sarkozy, his staunchly Gaullist grandfather was more of an influence on him than his father, whom he rarely saw. Sarkozy was, accordingly, raised Catholic.[7]
Sarkozy said that being abandoned by his father shaped much of who he is today. He also has said that, in his early years, he felt inferior in relation to his wealthier and taller classmates.[10] "What made me who I am now is the sum of all the humiliations suffered during childhood", he said later.[10]
Sarkozy was enrolled in the Lycée Chaptal, a well regarded public middle and high school in Paris's 8th arrondissement, where he failed his sixième. His family then sent him to the Cours Saint-Louis de Monceau, a private Catholic school in the 17th arrondissement, where he was reportedly a mediocre student,[11] but where he nonetheless obtained his baccalauréat in 1973. He enrolled at the Université Paris X Nanterre, where he graduated with an MA in Private law, and later with a DEA degree in Business law. Paris X Nanterre had been the starting place for the May '68 student movement and was still a stronghold of leftist students. Described as a quiet student, Sarkozy soon joined the right-wing student organization, in which he was very active. He completed his military service as a part time Air Force cleaner.[12] After graduating, he entered the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, better known as Sciences Po, (1979–1981) but failed to graduate[13] due to an insufficient command of the English language.[14] After passing the bar, he became a lawyer specializing in business and family law,[14] and was one of Silvio Berlusconi's top French advocates.[15][16][17]
Sarkozy married his first wife, Marie-Dominique Culioli, on 23 September 1982; her father was a pharmacist from Vico (a village north of Ajaccio, Corsica), her uncle was Achille Peretti, the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine from 1947-1983 and Sarkozy's political mentor. They had two sons, Pierre (born in 1985), now a hip-hop producer,[18] and Jean (born in 1986) now a local politician in the city of Neuilly-sur-Seine where Sarkozy started his own political career. Sarkozy's best man was the prominent right-wing politician Charles Pasqua, later to become a political opponent.[19] Sarkozy divorced Culioli in 1996, after they had been separated for several years.
As mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Sarkozy met former fashion model and public relations executive Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz (great-granddaughter of composer Isaac Albéniz and daughter of a Moldovan father), when he officiated at her wedding[20] to television host Jacques Martin. In 1988, she left her husband for Sarkozy, and divorced Martin one year later. Sarkozy married her in October 1996, with witnesses Martin Bouygues and Bernard Arnault.[21] They have one son, Louis, born 23 April 1997.
Between 2002 and 2005, the couple often appeared together on public occasions, with Cécilia Sarkozy acting as the chief aide for her husband.[22] On 25 May 2005, however, the Swiss newspaper Le Matin revealed that she had left Sarkozy for French-Moroccan national Richard Attias, head of Publicis in New York.[23] There were other accusations of a private nature in Le Matin, which led to Sarkozy suing the paper.[24] In the meantime, he was said to have had an affair with a journalist of Le Figaro, Anne Fulda.[25]
Sarkozy and Cécilia ultimately divorced on 15 October 2007, soon after his election as President.[26]
Less than a month after separating from Cécilia, Sarkozy met Italian-born singer Carla Bruni at a dinner party, and soon entered a relationship with her.[27] They married on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris.[28]
The couple has a daughter, Giulia, born on 19 October 2011.[29] It is the first time a French president has had a child while in office.[30]
Sarkozy declared to the Constitutional Council a net worth of €2 million, most of the assets being in the form of life insurance policies.[31] As the French President, one of his first actions was to give himself a pay raise: his yearly salary went from €101,000 to €240,000 (to match his European/French peers).[32] He is also entitled to a mayoral pension as a former mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Sarkozy is recognised by both the right and left's French parties as a skilled politician and striking orator.[33] His supporters within France emphasize his charisma, political innovation and willingness to "make a dramatic break" amid mounting disaffection against "politics as usual". Overall, he is considered more pro-United States and pro-Israeli than most French politicians.
Since November 2004, Sarkozy has been president of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP), France's major right-wing political party, and he was Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, with the honorific title of Minister of State, making him effectively the number three official in the French State after President Jacques Chirac and Villepin. His ministerial responsibilities included law enforcement and working to co-ordinate relationships between the national and local governments, as well as Minister of Worship (in this role he created the CFCM, French Council of Muslim Faith). Previously, he was a deputy to the French National Assembly. He was forced to resign this position in order to accept his ministerial appointment. He previously also held several ministerial posts, including Finance Minister.
Sarkozy's political career began when he was 23, when he became a city councillor in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A member of the Neo-Gaullist party RPR, he went on to be elected mayor of that town, after the death of the incumbent mayor Achille Peretti. Sarkozy had been close to Peretti, as his mother was Peretti's secretary. The senior RPR politician at the time, Charles Pasqua, wanted to become mayor, and asked Sarkozy to organize his campaign. Instead Sarkozy profited from Pasqua's short illness to propel himself into the office of mayor.[34] He was the youngest mayor of any town in France with a population of over 50,000. He served from 1983 to 2002. In 1988, he became a deputy in the National Assembly.
In 1993, Sarkozy was in the national news for personally negotiating with the "Human Bomb", a man who had taken small children hostage in a kindergarten in Neuilly.[35] The "Human Bomb" was killed after two days of talks by policemen of the RAID, who entered the school stealthily while the attacker was resting.
At the same time, from 1993 to 1995, he was Minister for the Budget and spokesman for the executive in the cabinet of Prime Minister Édouard Balladur. Throughout most of his early career, Sarkozy had been seen as a protégé of Jacques Chirac. During his tenure, he increased France's public debt more than any other French Budget Minister, by the equivalent of €200 billion (USD260 billion) (FY 1994–1996). The first two budgets he submitted to the parliament (budgets for FY1994 and FY1995) assumed a yearly budget deficit equivalent to six percent of GDP.[36] According to the Maastricht Treaty, the French yearly budget deficit may not exceed three percent of France's GDP.
In 1995, he spurned Chirac and backed Édouard Balladur for President of France. After Chirac won the election, Sarkozy lost his position as Minister for the Budget, and found himself outside the circles of power.
However, he returned after the right-wing defeat at the 1997 parliamentary election, as the number two candidate of the RPR. When the party leader Philippe Séguin resigned, in 1999, he took the leadership of the Neo-Gaullist party. But it obtained its worst result at the 1999 European Parliament election, winning 12.7% of the votes, less than the dissident Rally for France of Charles Pasqua. Sarkozy lost the RPR leadership.
In 2002, however, after his re-election as President of the French Republic (see French presidential election, 2002), Chirac appointed Sarkozy as French Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, despite Sarkozy's support of Edouard Balladur for French President in 1995.[37] Following Chirac's 14 July keynote speech on road safety, Sarkozy as interior minister pushed through new legislation leading to the mass purchase of speed cameras and a campaign to increase the awareness of dangers on the roads.
In the cabinet reshuffle of 30 April 2004, Sarkozy became Finance Minister. Tensions continued to build between Sarkozy and Chirac and within the UMP party, as Sarkozy's intentions of becoming head of the party after the resignation of Alain Juppé became clear.
In party elections of 10 November 2004, Sarkozy became leader of the UMP with 85% of the vote. In accordance with an agreement with Chirac, he resigned as Finance Minister. Sarkozy's ascent was marked by the division of UMP between sarkozystes, such as Sarkozy's "first lieutenant", Brice Hortefeux, and Chirac loyalists, such as Jean-Louis Debré.
Sarkozy was made Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by President Chirac in February 2005. He was re-elected on 13 March 2005 to the National Assembly (as required by the constitution,[38] he had to resign as a deputy when he became minister in 2002).
On 31 May 2005 the main French news radio station France Info reported a rumour that Sarkozy was to be reappointed Minister of the Interior in the government of Dominique de Villepin without resigning from the UMP leadership. This was confirmed on 2 June 2005, when the members of the government were officially announced.
Towards the end of his first term as Minister of the Interior, in 2004, Sarkozy was the most divisive conservative politician in France, according to polls conducted at the beginning of 2004.
Sarkozy has sought to ease the sometimes tense relationships between the general French population and the Muslim community. Unlike the Catholic Church in France with their official leaders or Protestants with their umbrella organisations, the French Muslim community had a lack of structure with no group that could legitimately deal with the French government on their behalf. Sarkozy supported the foundation in May 2003 of the private non-profit Conseil français du culte musulman ("French Council of the Muslim Faith"), an organisation meant to be representative of French Muslims.[39] In addition, Sarkozy has suggested amending the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, mostly in order to be able to finance mosques and other Muslim institutions with public funds[40] so that they are less reliant on money from outside of France. It was not followed by any concrete measure.
During his short appointment as Minister of Finance, Sarkozy was responsible for introducing a number of policies. The degree to which this reflected libéralisme (a hands-off approach to running the economy) or more traditional French state dirigisme (intervention) is controversial. He resigned the day following his election as president of the UMP.
During his second term at the Ministry of the Interior, Sarkozy was initially more discreet about his ministerial activities: instead of focusing on his own topic of law and order, many of his declarations addressed wider issues, since he was expressing his opinions as head of the UMP party.
However, the civil unrest in autumn 2005 put law enforcement in the spotlight again. Sarkozy was accused of having provoked the unrest by calling young delinquents from housing projects "rabble" ("racaille") in Argenteuil near Paris, and controversially suggested cleansing the minority suburbs with a Kärcher. After the accidental death of two youths, which sparked the riots, Sarkozy first blamed it on "hoodlums" and gangsters. These remarks were sharply criticised by many on the left wing and by a member of his own government, Delegate Minister for Equal Opportunities Azouz Begag.[45]
After the rioting, he made a number of announcements on future policy: selection of immigrants, greater tracking of immigrants, and a reform on the 1945 ordinance government justice measures for young delinquents.
Before he was elected President of France, Sarkozy was president of UMP, the French conservative party, elected with 85 percent of the vote. During his presidency, the number of members has significantly increased. In 2005, he supported a "yes" vote in the French referendum on the European Constitution, but the "No" vote won.
Throughout 2005, Sarkozy called for radical changes in France's economic and social policies. These calls culminated in an interview with Le Monde on 8 September 2005, during which he claimed that the French had been misled for 30 years by false promises.[46] Among other issues:
Such policies are what are called in France libéral (that is, in favour of laissez-faire economic policies) or, with a pejorative undertone, ultra-libéral. Sarkozy rejects this label of libéral and prefers to call himself a pragmatist.
Sarkozy opened another avenue of controversy by declaring that he wanted a reform of the immigration system, with quotas designed to admit the skilled workers needed by the French economy. He also wants to reform the current French system for foreign students, saying that it enables foreign students to take open-ended curricula in order to obtain residency in France; instead, he wants to select the best students to the best curricula in France.
In early 2006, the French parliament adopted a controversial bill known as DADVSI, which reforms French copyright law. Since his party was divided on the issue, Sarkozy stepped in and organised meetings between various parties involved. Later, groups such as the Odebi League and EUCD.info alleged that Sarkozy personally and unofficially supported certain amendments to the law, which enacted strong penalties against designers of peer-to-peer systems.
Sarkozy was a likely candidate for the presidency in 2007; in an oft-repeated comment made on television channel France 2, when asked by a journalist whether he thought about the presidential election when he shaved in the morning, Sarkozy commented, "Not just when I shave".[47]
On 14 January 2007, Sarkozy was chosen by the UMP to be its candidate in the 2007 presidential election. Sarkozy, who was running unopposed, won 98 percent of the votes. Of the 327,000 UMP members who could vote, 69 percent participated in the online ballot.[48]
In February 2007, Sarkozy appeared on a televised debate on TF1 where he expressed his support for affirmative action and the freedom to work overtime. Despite his opposition to same-sex marriage, he advocated civil unions and the possibility for same-sex partners to inherit under the same regime as married couples. The law was voted in July 2007.[49]
On 7 February, Sarkozy decided in favour of a projected second, non-nuclear, aircraft carrier for the national Navy (adding to the nuclear Charles de Gaulle), during an official visit in Toulon with Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. "This would allow permanently having an operational ship, taking into account the constraints of maintenance", he explained.[50]
On 21 March, President Jacques Chirac announced his support for Sarkozy. Chirac pointed out that Sarkozy had been chosen as presidential candidate for the ruling UMP party, and said: "So it is totally natural that I give him my vote and my support." To focus on his campaign, Sarkozy stepped down as interior minister on 26 March.[51]
During the campaign, rival candidates had accused Sarkozy of being a "candidate for brutality" and of presenting hard-line views about France's future.[52] Opponents also accused him of courting conservative voters in policy-making in a bid to capitalise on right-wing sentiments among some communities. However, his popularity was sufficient to see him polling as the frontrunner throughout the later campaign period, consistently ahead of rival Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal.
The first round of the presidential election was held on 22 April 2007. Sarkozy came in first with 31.18 percent of the votes, ahead of Ségolène Royal of the Socialists with 25.87 percent. In the second round, Sarkozy came out on top to win the election with 53.06 percent of the votes ahead of Ségolène Royal with 46.94 percent.[53] In his speech immediately following the announcement of the election results, Sarkozy stressed the need for France's modernisation, but also called for national unity, mentioning that Royal was in his thoughts. In that speech, he claimed "The French have chosen to break with the ideas, habits and behaviour of the past. I will restore the value of work, authority, merit and respect for the nation."
Sarkozy was one of ten candidates who qualified for the first round of voting.[54] François Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate, received the most votes in the first round held on 22 April election, with Sarkozy coming second, meaning that both progressed to the second round of voting on 5–6 May 2012.[55] Sarkozy lost in the runoff and conceded to Hollande. He received an estimated 48.38% compared to Hollande's 51.62%.[56]
Governmental functions
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
National Assembly of France
Regional Council
General Council
Municipal Council
Political functions
On 6 May 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy became the sixth person to be elected President of the Fifth Republic (which was established in 1958), and the 23rd president in French history. He is the first French president to have been born after World War II. Indeed, his predecessor Jacques Chirac, the president born most recently apart from Sarkozy himself, was born in 1932.
The official transfer of power from Chirac to Sarkozy took place on 16 May at 11:00 am (9:00 UTC) at the Élysée Palace, where he was given the authorization codes of the French nuclear arsenal.[57] In the afternoon, the new President flew to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Under Sarkozy's government, François Fillon replaced Dominique de Villepin as Prime Minister.[58] Sarkozy appointed Bernard Kouchner, the left-wing founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, as his foreign minister, leading to Kouchner's expulsion from the Socialist Party. In addition to Kouchner, three more Sarkozy ministers are from the left, including Eric Besson, who served as Ségolène Royal'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, is the first woman of Northern African origin to serve in a French cabinet. Of the 15, two attended the elite École nationale d'administration (ENA).[59] The ministers were reorganised, with the controversial creation of a 'Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-Development'—given to his right-hand man Brice Hortefeux—and of a 'Ministry of Budget, Public Accounts and Civil Administration'—handed out to Éric Wœrth, supposed to prepare the replacement of only a third of all civil servants who retire. However, after the 17 June parliamentary elections, the Cabinet has been adjusted to 15 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, totalling 31 officials.
Shortly after taking office, Sarkozy began negotiations with Colombian president Álvaro Uribe and the left-wing guerrilla FARC, 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.[60] Furthermore, 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 Muammar Gaddafi security, health care and immigration pacts—and a $230 million (168 million euros) MILAN antitank missile sale.[61] The contract was the first made by Libya since 2004, and was negotiated with MBDA, a subsidiary of EADS. Another 128 millions euros contract would have been signed, according to Tripoli, with EADS for a TETRA radio system. The Socialist Party (PS) and the Communist Party (PCF) criticised a "state affair" and a "barter" with a "Rogue state".[62] The leader of the PS, François Hollande, requested the opening of a parliamentary investigation.[61]
On 8 June 2007, during the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Sarkozy set a goal of reducing French CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050 in order to prevent global warming. He then pushed forward Socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn as European nominee to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).[63] Critics alleged that Sarkozy proposed to nominate Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the IMF to deprive the Socialist Party of one of its more popular figures.[64]
In 2010, a study of Yale and Columbia universities ranked France the most respectful country of the G20 concerning the environment.[65]
The Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), Sarkozy's party, won a majority at the June 2007 legislative election, although by less than expected. In July, the UMP majority, seconded by the Nouveau Centre, ratified one of Sarkozy's electoral promises, which was to partially revoke the inheritance tax.[66][67] The inheritance tax formerly brought eight billion euros into state coffers.[68]
Sarkozy's UMP majority prepared a budget that reduced taxes, in particular for upper middle-class people, allegedly in an effort to boost GDP growth, but did not reduce state expenditures. He was criticised by the European Commission for doing so.
Sarkozy broke with the custom of amnestying traffic tickets and of releasing thousands of prisoners from overcrowded jails on Bastille Day, a tradition that Napoleon had started in 1802 to commemorate the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution.[61]
Sarkozy's government issued a decree on 7 August 2007 to generalise a voluntary biometric 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 (SIS) as well as with a national database of wanted persons (FPR). The Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) protested against this new decree, opposing itself to the recording of fingerprints and to the interconnection between the SIS and the FPR.[69]
On 21 July 2008, the French parliament passed constitutional reforms which Sarkozy had made one of the key pledges of his presidential campaign. The vote was 539 to 357, one vote over the three-fifths majority required; the changes are not yet finalized. They would introduce a two-term limit for the presidency, and end the president's right of collective pardon. They would allow the president to address parliament in-session, and parliament, to set its own agenda. They would give parliament a veto over some presidential appointments, while ending government control over parliament's committee system. He has claimed that these reforms strengthen parliament, while some opposition socialist lawmakers have described it as a "consolidation of a monocracy".[70]
On 23 July 2008, parliament voted the "loi de modernisation de l'économie" (Modernization of the Economy Law) which loosened restrictions on retail prices and reduced limitations on the creation of businesses. The Government has also made changes to long-standing French work-hour regulations, allowing employers to negotiate overtime with employees and making all hours worked past the traditional French 35-hour week tax-free.[71]
However, as a result of the global financial crisis that came to a head in September 2008, Sarkozy has returned to the state interventionism of his predecessors, declaring that "laissez-faire capitalism is over" and denouncing the "dictatorship of the market". Confronted with the suggestion that he had become a socialist, he responded: "Have I become socialist? Perhaps." He has also pledged to create 100,000 state-subsidised jobs.[72] This reversion to dirigisme is seen as an attempt to stem the growing popularity of revolutionary socialist leader Olivier Besancenot.[73]
France wielded special international power when Sarkozy held the rotating EU Presidency from July 2008 through December 2008. Sarkozy has publicly stated his intention to attain EU approval of a progressive energy package before the end of his EU Presidency. This energy package would clearly define climate change objectives for the EU and hold members to specific reductions in emissions. In further support of his collaborative outlook on climate change, Sarkozy has led the EU into a partnership with China.[74] On 6 December 2008, Nicolas Sarkozy, current Chairman of the European Union, met the Dalai Lama in Poland and outraged China, which has announced that it would postpone the China-EU summit indefinitely.[75] On 3 April 2009, at the NATO Summit in Strasbourg, Sarkozy announced that France would offer asylum to a former Guantanamo captive.[76][77] "We are on the path to failure if we continue to act as we have", French President Nicolas Sarkozy cautioned at the U.N. Climate Summit on 22 September 2009.[78]
On 27 February 2011, Sarkozy did for the 10th time of his presidency a government reshuffle.[79]
On 29 June 2011, he did an 11th government reshuffle, after the resignation of Christine Lagarde, who was appointed to head the International Monetary Fund. Five new ministers were appointed.
On 5 January 2009, Sarkozy called for a ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip Conflict.[80] The plan, which was jointly proposed by Sarkozy and Egyptian ex-President Hosni Mubarak envisions the continuation of the delivery of aid to Gaza and talks with Israel on border security, a key issue for Israel as it says Hamas smuggles its rockets into Gaza through the Egyptian border. Welcoming the proposal, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for a "ceasefire that can endure and that can bring real security".[81]
In March 2011, after having been criticized for his unwillingness to support the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions, and persuaded by the philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy to have France actively engage against the forces of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, Nicolas Sarkozy was amongst the first Heads of State to demand the resignation of Gaddafi and his government, which was then fighting a civil war in Libya. On 10 March 2011, Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed to the Elysee Palace, three emissaries from the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), brought to him by Bernard-Henri Levy who mediated at the meeting. Nicolas Sarkozy promised them a no-fly zone would be imposed on Gaddafi's aeroplanes. He also promised them France's military assistance. On 17 March 2011, at the behest of France, resolution 1973 was adopted by the Security Council of the United Nations, permitting the creation of a "no fly" zone over Libya, and for the undertaking of "necessary measures" for the protection of the country's civilian population. On 19 March 2011, Nicolas Sarkozy officially announced the beginning of a military intervention in Libya, with France's participation. These actions of Nicolas Sarkozy were favorably received by the majority of the French political class and public opinion.[82][83][84]
Sarkozy was named the 68th best-dressed person in the world by Vanity Fair, alongside David Beckham and Brad Pitt.[85] However, Sarkozy has also been named as the third worst-dressed person in the world by GQ,[86] a listing that has been disputed.[87] Beside publicizing, at times, and at others, refusing to publicise his ex-wife Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz's image,[88] Sarkozy takes care of his own personal image, sometimes to the point of censorship—such as in the Paris Match affair, when he allegedly forced its director to resign following an article on his ex-wife and her affair with Publicis executive Richard Attias, or pressures exercised on the Journal du dimanche, which was preparing to publish an article concerning Ciganer-Albéniz's decision not to vote in the second round of the 2007 presidential election.[89] In its 9 August 2007 edition, Paris Match retouched a photo of Sarkozy in order to erase a love handle.[90][91][92] His official portrait destined for all French town halls was done by SIPA photographer Philippe Warrin, better known for his paparazzi work.[93]
Former Daily Telegraph journalist Colin Randall has highlighted Sarkozy's tighter control of his image and frequent interventions in the media: "he censors a book, or fires the chief editor of a weekly."[93] Sarkozy is reported by Reuters to be sensitive about his height (believed to be 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)).[94] The French media have pointed out that Carla Bruni frequently wears flats when in public with him. In 2009, this was the subject of a political row, when a worker at a factory where Sarkozy gave a speech said she was asked to stand next to him because she was of a similar height (this story was corroborated by some trade union officials). The president's office called the accusation "completely absurd and grotesque", while the Socialist Party mocked his fastidious preparation.[95]
Sarkozy lost a suit against a manufacturer of Sarkozy voodoo dolls, in which he claimed that he had a right to his own image.[96]
The biopic La Conquête is a 2011 film that dramatizes Sarkozy's rise to power, with candid portrayals of Sarkozy himself, Chirac and Villepin, and that was shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[97]
This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Please integrate the section's contents into the article as a whole, or rewrite the material. (May 2011) |
Generally, Sarkozy is strongly disliked by the Left, and is also criticised by some on the Right, most vocally by supporters of Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin, such as Jean-Louis Debré.[98][99]
The magazine Marianne accused Sarkozy of changing opinion in an Airbus affair.[100] The communist-leaning magazine L'Humanité accused Sarkozy of being a populist.[101]
In 2004 Sarkozy co-authored a book, La République, les religions, l'espérance (The Republic, Religions, and Hope),[102] in which he argued that the young should not be brought up solely on secular or republican values. He advocated reducing the separation of church and state, arguing for the government subsidy of mosques in order to encourage Islamic integration into French society.[103] He opposes financing of religious institutions with funds from outside France. After meeting with Tom Cruise, Sarkozy was criticised by some for meeting with a member of the Church of Scientology, which is seen as a cult in France (see Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France).[104] Sarkozy stated that "the roots of France are essentially Christian" at December 2007 speech in Rome. He called Islam "one of the greatest and most beautiful civilizations the world has known" at a speech in Riyadh in January 2008. Both comments drew criticism from Christians.[105]
In the midst of a tense period and following the accidental death of an 11-year-old boy in the Paris suburb of La Courneuve in June 2005, Sarkozy quoted a local resident and vowed to clean the area out "with a Kärcher" (nettoyer la cité au Kärcher, referring to a well-known German brand of pressure-cleaning equipment), and two days before the 2005 Paris riots he referred to the criminal youth of the housing projects as voyous (thugs) and racaille, a slang term which can be translated into English as rabble, scum or riff-raff;[106] the French Communist Party's publication L'Humanité branded this language as inappropriate.[107]
In September 2005 Sarkozy was accused of pushing for a hasty inquiry into an arson attack on a police station in Pau, of which the alleged perpetrators were acquitted for lack of proof.[108] On 22 June 2005 Sarkozy told law enforcement officials that he had questioned the Minister of Justice about the future of "the judge" who had freed a man on parole who had later committed a murder.[109]
Sarkozy opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. However, he was critical of the way Jacques Chirac and his foreign minister Dominique de Villepin expressed France's opposition to the war. Talking at the French-American Foundation in Washington, D.C. on 12 September 2006, he denounced what he called the "French arrogance" and said: "It is bad manners to embarrass one's allies or sound like one is taking delight in their troubles."[110] He added: "We must never again turn our disagreements into a crisis." Jacques Chirac reportedly said in private that Sarkozy's speech was "appalling" and "a shameful act".[110]
Even though his former foreign minister Bernard Kouchner (excluded from the Socialist party after his inclusion in François Fillon's government) had been one of the few supporters in France of removal of Saddam Hussein from power, Sarkozy's stance on the war has not changed.
A few weeks before the first round of the 2007 presidential elections, Sarkozy said during an interview with philosopher Michel Onfray[111] that he thinks disorders such as paedophilia and depression have a genetic as well as social basis, saying "I don't agree with you, I'd be inclined to think that one is born a paedophile, and it is actually a problem that we do not know how to cure this disease"; he also claimed that suicides among youth were linked to genetic predispositions by stating, "I don't want to give parents a complex. It's not exclusively the parents' fault every time a youngster commits suicide." These statements were criticised by some scientists, including controversial geneticist Axel Kahn.[112][113] Sarkozy later said, "What part is innate and what part is acquired? At least let's debate it, let's not close the door to all debate."[114]
On 27 July 2007, Sarkozy delivered a speech in Senegal, written by Henri Guaino, in which he made reference to "African peasants".[115][116] The controversial remarks were widely condemned by Africans, who viewed them as racist.[116][117][118] South African president Thabo Mbeki praised Sarkozy's speech, which raised criticism by some in the South African media.[116][118]
On 23 February 2008, Sarkozy was filmed by a reporter for French newspaper Le Parisien having the following exchange while visiting the Paris International Agricultural Show:[119]
While quickly crossing the hall Saturday morning, in the middle of the crowd, Sarkozy encounters a recalcitrant visitor who refuses to shake his hand. "Ah no, don't touch me!", said the man. The president retorted immediately: "Get lost, then." "You're making me dirty", yelled the man. With a frozen smile, Sarkozy says, his teeth glistening, a refined "Get lost, then, poor dumb-ass, go."[120]
This exchange has been cause for much humour and debate regarding its propriety in the French press. It should also be noted that a precise translation into English has many possible variations.[121][122][123]
On 28 August 2008, Hervé Eon, from Laval came to an anti-Sarkozy demonstration with a sign bearing the words Casse-toi pov' con, the exact words Sarkozy had uttered. Eon was arrested for causing offence to the presidential function and the prosecutor, who in France indirectly reports to the president, requested a fine of 1000€.[124][125] The court eventually imposed a symbolic 30€ suspended fine, which has generally been interpreted as a defeat for the prosecution side.[126] This incident was widely reported on, in particular as Sarkozy, as president of the Republic, is immune from prosecution, notably restricting Eon's rights to sue Sarkozy for defamation.[127]
On 8 November 2009, Sarkozy posted on his Facebook page a picture supposedly showing him chipping away at the Berlin Wall during its fall. However, the dates were inconsistent and the picture was proven to be fake – and later archived footage confirmed this. This news of forgery spread in France, and later evolved into a meme, "Sarkozy Was There", where Sarkozy is photoshopped into historical events.
On 5 July 2010, following its investigations on the Bettencourt affair, online newspaper Mediapart ran an article in which Claire Thibout, an ex-accountant working for Liliane Bettencourt, accused Nicolas Sarkozy and Eric Woerth of receiving illegal campaign donations in 2007, in cash.[128][129]
On 30 July 2010, Sarkozy suggested a new policy of security, and he proposed "stripping foreign-born French citizens who opted to acquire their nationality at their majority of their citizenship if they are convicted of threatening the life of a police officer or other serious crimes".[130] This policy has been criticized for example by the US newspaper The New York Times,[130] by Sarkozy's political opponents, including the leader of the PS, Martine Aubry,[131] and by experts of French law, including the ex-member of the Constitutional Council of France, Robert Badinter, who said that such action would be unconstitutional.[132]
Sarkozy was accused of nepotism for helping his son, Jean Sarkozy, try to become head of the public body running France's biggest business district EPAD.[133][134]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nicolas Sarkozy |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nicolas Sarkozy |
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Achille Peretti |
Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine 1983–2002 |
Succeeded by Louis-Charles Bary |
Preceded by Daniel Vaillant |
Minister of the Interior 2002–2004 |
Succeeded by Dominique de Villepin |
Preceded by Charles Pasqua |
President of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Patrick Devedjian |
Preceded by Francis Mer |
Minister of Finance 2004 |
Succeeded by Hervé Gaymard |
Preceded by Dominique de Villepin |
Minister of the Interior 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by François Baroin |
Preceded by Jacques Chirac |
President of France 2007–2012 |
Succeeded by François Hollande |
Preceded by Janez Janša |
President of the European Council 2008 |
Succeeded by Mirek Topolánek |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Philippe Séguin |
Leader of Rally for the Republic Acting 1999 |
Succeeded by Michèle Alliot-Marie |
Preceded by Jean-Claude Gaudin Acting |
Leader of the Union for a Popular Movement 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Jean-Claude Gaudin Acting |
Regnal titles | ||
Preceded by Jacques Chirac |
Co-Prince of Andorra 2007–2012 Served alongside: Joan Enric Vives Sicília |
Succeeded by François Hollande |
Catholic Church titles | ||
Preceded by Jacques Chirac |
Honorary Canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran 2007–2012 |
Succeeded by François Hollande |
|
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Sarkozy, Nicolas |
Alternative names | Sarközy, Nicolas Paul Stéphane, de Nagy-Bocsa |
Short description | 23rd President of France from 16 May 2007 to 15 May 2012 |
Date of birth | 28 January 1955 |
Place of birth | Paris, France |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (October 2008) |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2011) |
Country | France |
---|---|
Residence | Geneva, Switzerland |
Born | (1984-10-02) 2 October 1984 (age 27) Le Puy-en-Velay, France |
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Weight | 63kg [1] |
Turned pro | February 2000 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed both sides) born left-handed |
Career prize money | $7,145,016 |
Singles | |
Career record | 446–270 |
Career titles | 7 WTA, 6 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 7 (January 30, 2012) |
Current ranking | No. 8 (May 21, 2012) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2009) |
French Open | SF (2011) |
Wimbledon | F (2007) |
US Open | 4R (2007, 2008) |
Other tournaments | |
Championships | RR (2007, 2011) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 117–82 |
Career titles | 3 WTA, 1 ITF titles |
Highest ranking | No. 15 (July 5, 2004) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | 3R (2004, 2005) |
French Open | 3R (2005, 2006) |
Wimbledon | QF (2004) |
US Open | SF (2003) |
Last updated on: March 7, 2012. |
Marion Bartoli (born 2 October 1984) is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles.[2] She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
Bartoli has defeated three reigning world no. 1 players in her career so far. She defeated Justine Henin in the semifinal of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, 1–6, 7–5, 6–1, Jelena Janković in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open, 6–1, 6–4 and Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 6–3 in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. She has also recorded wins over other top players such as Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanović, Lindsay Davenport, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur and Kim Clijsters.
She is known for her unorthodox style of play using two hands on both her forehand and backhand. On January 30th 2012 she rose to a new career high ranking of No.7 in the world.
Contents |
Bartoli was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. She is of Corsican, Catalan, and metropolitan French descent.[3] She started playing tennis at the age of six. Bartoli trained in a small facility as a youngster, where there was not much room behind the baseline. Her father, Walter, gave up his career as a doctor to become her full-time coach when Bartoli won the 2001 Junior US Open title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
She is an animal lover and has a cat named Calinette. Bartoli has a brother who is in the French military. Her role model off the court is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. She is also an admirer of Roger Federer. Her mother Sophie, is a nurse and is rarely seen in the crowd, as she gets so nervous watching her daughter play. Bartoli has told the press she had an IQ of 175, when tested as a child.[4]
This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009) |
Bartoli is known for her unorthodox and very intense style of play on the court. She uses two hands on both the forehand and the backhand, and is generally classed as an aggressive and hard-hitting player. She developed her two-handed style on the advice of her father, who is also her coach. He had seen the classic 1992 French Open final in which Monica Seles defeated Steffi Graf, and immediately was inspired to teach the technique to his daughter.
Bartoli also had trouble with her forehand at the time, so when she made the switch to two hands, it greatly improved and she has never stopped. She uses her double-fisted strokes to create sharp angles to open up the court and prefers to take the ball very early on groundstrokes. Her return of serve is considered to be her biggest weapon and she often stands inside the baseline to receive serve, even on first serves.
Her style of play can be most closely compared to that of Seles, who had a strong influence on Bartoli as a young player, though unlike Seles, Bartoli is right-handed.
In the past she was not a very good mover and was further inhibited by her two-fisted strokes, which could make her vulnerable to fast all-court players. Since then Bartoli has worked on her fitness and mobility and has lost weight, and now her court movement has improved markedly.
Bartoli is also known for her unusual serve, in which she uses her wrist to generate speed. She has also changed her service motion many times over the years. Furthermore, Bartoli manifests unusual on-court mannerisms and never stops moving and jumps on the spot between points. She is continuously moving her legs and sometimes does this when her opponent is serving.
Bartoli is currently playing using the new Prince EXO 3 Warrior racquet. She has previously used the Prince EXO3 Black and the Prince O3 Red. All her Prince racquets are modified in New York to make them longer by 1.5 inches than standard racquets to give her better reach with her two-handed strokes. For many years she had no clothing sponsor, but wore Nike. In October 2011, she signed a three year clothing deal with Lotto. Before her breakthrough into the top 100, Bartoli was playing with a standard length Babolat racquet and she was wearing Le Coq Sportif apparel.
Bartoli started entering tournaments regularly at the age of 16. After a few aborted starts in 1999 and 2000, in 2001 she played in the ITF $10,000 clay events in the spring. Winning two tournaments back to back in May (in Hatfield and Torino) ensured that the French Open would giver her a wildcard into her first Grand Slam, where she lost to Catalina Castaño. Bartoli also won another tournament in Koksijde, Belgium.
In 2002, she received a wildcard into the Australian Open. She lost to Tina Pisnik, 3–6, 6–4, 7–9. She then won her fourth ITF title in Columbus, Ohio. She followed that with a first-round exit at the French Open, losing in three sets to Ai Sugiyama. In the US Open where she qualified, she upset Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, 6–3, 6–1. It was Bartoli's first win over a player in the top 100. She followed that with a win over Rossana de los Ríos, before losing to fourth seed Lindsay Davenport, 3–6, 1–6.
Bartoli began 2003 by reaching her first WTA semifinals in the Canberra Women's Classic, losing to Francesca Schiavone, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, after coming through the qualifying draw. For the first time, she earned her place in a Grand Slam (the Australian Open) through her ranking, but lost to 11th seed Magdalena Maleeva in the first round in straight sets. She then received a wildcard in Paris, but lost in the first round to Maja Matevžič. She then qualified for her first Tier I event at Indian Wells, California, before losing in straight sets to eighth-seeded Chanda Rubin in the second round. She repeated this two weeks later by qualifying in Key Biscayne, Florida, but this time made it to the quarterfinals, after Davenport retired in their fourth-round match because of an injured hamstring. She then lost to Serena Williams, 1–6, 2–6.[5]
She qualified for the Sarasota Clay Court Classic and the Family Circle Cup, but lost in the first round of both tournaments, as well as in the first round of the Bausch & Lomb Championships. In the Internationaux de Strasbourg, she reached the quarterfinals, losing to Vera Zvonareva 1–6, 2–6. At the 2003 French Open, she earned her first victory over Rossana de los Ríos 6–3, 6–0, but lost to Jennifer Capriati in the second round. In the grass season, she made it to the third round in Birmingham, losing to Elena Dementieva after upsetting Émilie Loit in the first round. She then lost to compatriot Amélie Mauresmo in 's-Hertogenbosch. At her first Wimbledon, she drew the ninth seed, Slovak Daniela Hantuchová in the first round and lost 4–6, 1–6.
She lost in early rounds in Bank of the West Classic, JPMorgan Chase Open, Rogers AT&T Cup, and Pilot Pen Tennis. However, at the Acura Classic, she defeated her first top-20 player in Meghann Shaughnessy 3–6, 7–6, 7–5, but lost to Kim Clijsters in the third round 1–6, 1–6. She drew Hantuchová again in the first round of the US Open, and again only took five games off the Slovak, this time losing 3–6, 2–6. She then failed to qualify in the Sparkassen Cup and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. At the end of the year, she reached the second round of Generali Ladies Linz, losing to Vera Zvonareva, and the quarterfinals of Bell Challenge, losing to Milagros Sequera, 6–1, 3–6, 1–6.
Bartoli began 2004 by getting to her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) semifinal in the season-opener in Auckland. She got to the second round of the Australian Open for the first time, losing to 22nd-seeded Patty Schnyder in three sets.
In February, Bartoli played at the 2004 Hyderabad Open, where she won three straight matches against Ankita Bhambri, Galina Fokina, and Mervana Jugić-Salkić to reach the semifinals, before losing to eventual champion Nicole Pratt in three sets. This performance briefly made her a top-50 player.
But simultaneously she refound her doubles form of late 2003. Partnering compatriot Émilie Loit, she reached the semifinals of Acapulco, the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, and then Bartoli won her first WTA tour doubles title in Casablanca.
After a forgettable singles clay-court season (culminating in her second loss to Sugiyama at her native Grand Slam event), she rose back up the rankings by reaching the third round of Wimbledon (losing to Sugiyama for the second successive Grand Slam). She also got to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in doubles, partnering Loit for the second successive Grand Slam (they had failed to get beyond the second round of the French Open). Bartoli got to her third singles semifinal of the year in Cincinnati, before pulling out of her match with Lindsay Davenport with a blister on her right hand. She reached the second round of the US Open, despite being drawn against 32nd-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round. She lost to Russian Vera Douchevina in three sets in the second round.
In the absence of Amélie Mauresmo (with a groin injury) and Mary Pierce (with a shoulder problem), Bartoli received her debut Fed Cup call-up for France's semifinals against Spain. She was teamed with Loit again and helped complete a 5–0 whitewash of the Spanish team. In the final against Russia, Svetlana Kuznetsova had lost both of her matches, and Anastasia Myskina had won both of hers, making Bartoli's and Loit's doubles match against Myskina and Vera Zvonareva the decisive rubber. The Russian pair won the first set in a tiebreak, then the second set 7–5, handing the Fed Cup to Russia for the first time. As a result, her team leader Guy Forget resigned, and she was not chosen by the new team leader Georges Goven to play in 2005.[6]
She ended 2004 ranked world no. 41, having gone 30–24 over the year. Her hard-court record was 23–13, with clay going 4–7, grass 3–3, and carpet 0–1.
After a promising start (semifinals in Auckland and quarterfinals in Canberra), which took her to world no. 32 and winning the second doubles tournament of her career in Pattaya City, injury disrupted the second quarter of 2005 for Bartoli. The only match she played in the clay-court season was her straight-sets first-round loss to Shahar Pe'er at the French Open (where she was seeded for the first time, 28th). Her quarterfinal run at Eastbourne (where she had to retire hurt) led her to a career-high ranking of no. 27 entering Wimbledon. She lost to Jill Craybas in the second round, 1–6, 4–6. Highlights of the year were reaching the third round of the US Open for the second time (losing to Sania Mirza) and making her second Women's Tennis Association semifinal of the year (and fifth of her career) in Québec.
Her end-of-season stats were 35–26, albeit padded by a victory in a satellite tournament in Doha at the end of the year. She went 30–21 on hard courts, 0–1 on clay, 3–3 on grass, and 2–1 on carpet. She was now ranked world no. 40.
In January 2006, Bartoli at 21 years of age won her first senior title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, beating Vera Zvonareva in the final, 6–2, 6–2. The tournament marked the first time she had beaten a top-10 player, when Nadia Petrova retired in the third set of their semifinal with a leg injury. She then lost in the second round of the first three Grand Slam events of the year (losing to Roberta Vinci in Australia, Serb Jelena Janković at the French Open, and Karolina Šprem at Wimbledon, all in three sets), but she won her third career doubles title by capturing the ECM Prague Open with Shahar Pe'er in May.
The North American summer hard-court season was very productive for Bartoli, getting to the third round (and in some cases that meant the quarterfinals) of five of the seven tournaments she entered, including the US Open, where she again lost in the third round, this time to seventh-seeded Patty Schnyder. The following week, she beat the Swiss player on route to her second final of the year in Bali, where she lost to world no. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova.
In October, Bartoli won her second Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles title at the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, beating Aiko Nakamura, 2–6, 6–2, 6–2, in the final. This was the first ever WTA final contested by two players using two-handed strokes on both the forehand and backhand.[citation needed] As a result of winning the title, she broke into the top 20 for the first time. In her last event of the year, she captured the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, shutting out Olga Poutchkova in the final, 6–0, 6–0.
Bartoli finished the year ranked world no. 17. Her record was 45–28, her best on tour so far. That consisted of 37–17 on hard courts, 4–6 on clay, 3–3 on grass, and 1–2 on carpet. She was 3–6 against top-10 players.
Bartoli began 2007 with another second-round exit at the Australian Open, this time falling to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets. She then performed well at the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, defeating ninth seed Dinara Safina, 6–4, 6–3, in the third round, before losing to sixth seed Nicole Vaidišová, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, in the fourth round.
Bartoli then began to find her form during the clay-court season, which had previously not been a successful surface for her. She reached the final of the ECM Prague Open in May, losing to Akiko Morigami. Bartoli was hindered by a hip injury during the latter stages of the Prague tournament and withdrew from the Tier I tournament in Rome as a result. After reaching the semifinals in Strasbourg, she lost to Amélie Mauresmo. Then she reached her first career Grand Slam fourth round at the French Open by defeating Aravane Rezaï, 6–2, 6–4, Andrea Petkovic, 0–6, 6–2, 6–3 and 13th seed Elena Dementieva, 6–2, 6–4. In the fourth round, she was knocked out by fourth seed Jelena Janković, 1–6, 1–6. During this match, Bartoli injured her back.
Her form continued into the grass-court season, beating Daniela Hantuchová in three sets en route to a semifinal encounter with Maria Sharapova in Birmingham, which she lost in straight sets. A week later in Eastbourne, she got to her second successive semifinal, dispatching Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, 6–1, 6–0, before losing to world no. 1 Justine Henin, 1–6, 3–6.
At Wimbledon, Bartoli made her long-awaited Grand Slam breakthrough by advancing to her first Grand Slam final. After a win against 16th seed Shahar Pe'er, Bartoli upset third seeded Jelena Janković, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, in a match interrupted by many rain delays. Bartoli followed this by beating Michaëlla Krajicek of the Netherlands, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, in another delayed match. In her first Grand Slam semifinal, Bartoli came from behind to stun top-seeded Justine Henin, 1–6, 7–5, 6–1, in one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history.[7] Bookmakers had Henin at 1/33 to win, and Bartoli was a 10–1 outside shot. Bartoli claimed afterwards that the reason for her turnaround in the match was seeing Pierce Brosnan in the royal box and being determined to play well in front of one of her favourite actors. In her post-match interview, she asked the former James Bond star if he could come back for the final the next day to see her again. However, the following day Brosnan was unable to attend, due to a wedding. In the final, Bartoli lost to three-time former champion Venus Williams, 4–6, 1–6. Her father, who was sitting in the player's box behind Williams' father Richard, broke down and cried when she acknowledged him in her post-match remarks as being responsible for her achievements. As a result of her Wimbledon performance, she rose to a career high of no. 11 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.
After withdrawing from the Fed Cup, her first foray into the US Open Series ended in a defeat at Stanford. Seeded second, Bartoli faced American wildcard Lilia Osterloh in the second round and lost 7–5, 4–6, 3–6. Bartoli suffered a leg injury in the first set, which hindered her movement; she also cited fatigue and illness as contributing factors to the loss. In San Diego, Bartoli edged past Aiko Nakamura 7–6, 6–1, after a first-round bye, but lost to Elena Dementieva in the third round, 4–6, 5–7. This loss was perhaps seen as surprising because Bartoli had won their last two meetings, including losing just one game at Eastbourne. Despite the loss, Bartoli claimed that her level of play was fine; however, she lost her next match in Los Angeles to an in-form Maria Kirilenko 6–7, 3–6, after receiving a bye to the second round.
Bartoli picked up her form in Toronto, winning consecutive matches for the first time since Wimbledon. She beat Maria Kirilenko and Dinara Safina, but retired in her quarterfinal match against Yan Zi when trailing 2–6, 0–3. At New Haven, she beat Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–0, 6–4, before losing to Elena Dementieva once again 4–6, 2–6.
At the US Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time by defeating world no. 25 Lucie Šafářová in three sets. In the fourth round, she lost to eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams 3–6, 4–6.
After her US Open performance, Bartoli began her indoor season at a small tournament in Kolkata, India. She was the top-seeded player, but lost to Vania King. She then played at the Fortis Championships in Luxembourg, where she reached her first semifinal since her Wimbledon run by beating defending champion Alona Bondarenko and top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze for her third top-10 win of the year. However, she was then beaten by Daniela Hantuchová, 2–6, 2–6. She then suffered a first-round loss in Stuttgart to Agnieszka Radwańska, 6–0, 2–6, 1–6, on her 23rd birthday.
Bartoli then moved to the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the first Tier I of the indoor season. She was the fifth seed at this event, and in the first round beat Alona Bondarenko for the second time in three weeks, 6–2, 7–5. However, she lost in the next round to home favourite Vera Dushevina, 6–2, 0–6, 4–6. She then moved on to another Tier I event in Zürich and reached the quarterfinals with wins over Peng Shuai and Michaëlla Krajicek. Her run came to an unfortunate end against Tatiana Golovin, when she had to retire with a knee injury whilst leading 5–4. Bartoli hurt herself during the game at 4–4, where she broke Golovin to love due to a string of unforced errors from her compatriot, and despite attempts to continue, she was forced to retire and reportedly left the court in tears.[8]
Despite her injury, Bartoli still played at the Generali Ladies Linz held in Austria. After a first-round bye, she defeated homecrowd favourite Tamira Paszek in the second round, 6–2, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, she was pushed to three sets by a resilient Julia Vakulenko, but eventually prevailed, 6–1, 1–6, 6–4, to reach her second semifinal since Luxembourg. There, she lost to eventual runner-up Patty Schnyder, 6–7, 3–6, ending her hopes of reaching the WTA Tour Championships. However, after Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament due to her injury,[9] Bartoli entered the event and played in the yellow group. Since Serena had already played one match, Bartoli did not play Anna Chakvetadze. Bartoli lost 0–6, 0–6 to Justine Henin, who avenged her shock Wimbledon defeat to Bartoli, but Bartoli defeated Jelena Janković, 6–1, 1–0, after the Serbian retired.
Her final record for the year was 47–31, with 19–16 on hard courts, 14–7 on clay, 12–3 on grass, and 2–5 on carpet. Her record against top-10 players was 4–8. Despite not having earned a single title all year, she ended the year as a top-10 player at no. 10.
Bartoli started the year by playing the Medibank International in Sydney, losing to Francesca Schiavone in the second round 6–2, 3–6, 2–6. At the Australian Open, Bartoli was upset by Sofia Arvidsson 7–6, 4–6, 3–6, after Bartoli was up a break in both the second and third sets. At the Open Gaz de France, Bartoli made it to the semifinals, following easy wins over Virginie Razzano and Dominika Cibulková. However, she suffered a back injury while 6–2, 2–1 up against Anna Chakvetadze, but eventually lost 6–2, 2–6, 0–6. In Doha and Dubai, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki and Francesca Schiavone.
In the Indian Wells, California, following wins over Elena Vesnina and Angelique Kerber, she lost in the fourth round to Lindsay Davenport 5–7, 2–6. In Key Biscayne, Florida in her first match, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki 3–6, 1–6. On clay at Amelia Island, Florida, she lost in the second round to Olga Govortsova. In Charleston, South Carolina, she received a bye into the second round, where she defeated Casey Dellacqua 7–5, 4–6, 6–1, but lost to Vera Zvonareva 4–6, 6–4, 1–6. Then at the Qatar Telecom German Open, she made the third round, following an easy 6–0, 6–3 win over Lucie Šafářová, but was upset by Ágnes Szávay in the third round, 5–7, 5–7.
In Rome, she was seeded eighth and got a bye. In the third round, she was defeated by ninth-seeded Patty Schnyder 6–4, 4–6, 6–7, after leading 4–1 in the last set and holding a match point in the tiebreak. She then played in Strasbourg as the top seed. She badly injured her wrist and withdrew while trailing 1–6, 0–1 against Chinese Peng Shuai in her first match. At the French Open, she played through injury and was defeated by Dellacqua in the first round 7–6, 3–6, 2–6.
Seeded first at Birmingham, she was upset 7–5, 4–6, 0–6 by Petra Cetkovská. At Eastbourne, she defeated Sybille Bammer 6–3, 6–0, and Alisa Kleybanova 6–3, 6–3, but lost her semifinal match to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska 5–7, 3–6. At Wimbledon, she was seeded 11th and defeated Sabine Lisicki 6–2, 6–4, and Tathiana Perebiynis 6–2, 7–5. She was upset by Bethanie Mattek 4–6, 1–6, suffering calf and shoulder injuries.
Seeded sixth at Stanford, she defeated Akgul Amanmuradova in straight sets, Anne Keothavong, defending champion Anna Chakvetadze 6–3, 6–4, and Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–3, to move into her first final since Wimbledon in 2007. In the final, Bartoli lost to the Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak, 5–7, 3–6. In Montreal, she overcame a stomach virus to beat Melanie South, 6–3, 6–7, 6–0. After a walkover in the second round, Bartoli defeated Anna Chakvetadze, 4–6, 7–5, 7–6, saving three match points in the process. Then in the quarterfinals, she beat Ai Sugiyama, again in straight sets. Playing with a twisted ankle, Bartoli fell to Dominika Cibulková in the semifinals, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6.
In Cincinnati, she was seeded first, but pulled out while trailing 6–7, 2–2 to Jamea Jackson because of an abdominal strain. Then in New Haven, she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, but lost to Caroline Wozniacki, 4–6, 0–6. At the US Open, she was seeded 12th and strolled through her opening rounds against Galina Voskoboeva and Virginia Ruano Pascual. She then beat former champion and 23rd-seeded Lindsay Davenport in the third round, 6–1, 7–6. She lost to 29th-seeded Sybille Bammer in the fourth round, 6–7, 6–0, 4–6.
Bartoli's first event during the new WTA calendar was the inaugural Brisbane International. She was seeded third and defeated Monika Wejnert, 6–1, 6–2, Melinda Czink, 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, Tathiana Garbin, 6–3, 6–3. During the semifinal against Amélie Mauresmo, the latter had to retire due to injury; securing Bartoli a place in the final, which she lost to Victoria Azarenka, 3–6, 1–6. Bartoli withdrew from the Medibank International Sydney due to a left calf strain during a match with qualifier Melanie South, while tied at 1–1.
Seeded 16th at the Australian Open, she defeated Melanie South 6–2, 6–4, Tsvetana Pironkova 7–5, 6–2, and Lucie Šafářová, 3–6, 6–2, 6–1. Bartoli then stunned top seed Jelena Janković of Serbia by crushing her in straight sets 6–1, 6–4. However, she lost to seventh seeded Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals 3–6, 0–6. In 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships seeded 11th, she defeated Ai Sugiyama 6–0, 4–6, 7–6, and Francesca Schiavone 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, in the second round. However, in the third round, she retired while 2–5 down against Vera Zvonareva.
Bartoli then won her fourth career title at the Monterrey Open. Bartoli was seeded second, with wins over Michaëlla Krajicek 6–2, 6–4, Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–0, 6–4, Vania King 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, and Zheng Jie 7–5, 6–3. In the final, Bartoli defeated another Chinese player, unseeded Li Na 6–4, 6–3. Next, she suffered disappointing consecutive second-round defeats at Indian Wells and Miami, to Shahar Pe'er 6–1, 4–6, 5–7, and Anastasiya Yakimova 4–6, 3–6, after suffering from a viral illness.
After being too late to receive a wildcard into the Ponte Vedra Beach main draw, Bartoli accepted a wildcard into the qualifying draw and qualified. Bartoli faced the lower ranked eighth seed, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. However, Bartoli lost in a closely fought match 7–5, 6–7, 3–6. In Charleston, she was seeded sixth and defeated Anastasija Sevastova 6–1, 6–3, Melanie Oudin 6–4, 6–1, and Melinda Czink 6–4, 6–1, but lost to eventual champion Sabine Lisicki 3–6, 1–6, in the semifinal.
In Stuttgart, she defeated Karolina Šprem 6–3, 2–6, 6–1, and beat Caroline Wozniacki 7–6, 6–4. She then lost a close match against no. 3 Elena Dementieva 2–6, 6–4, 3–6. In Rome, she defeated Peng Shuai 6–0, 7–6, but fell to resurgent María José Martínez Sánchez 1–6, 5–7. In Madrid, she fell to Aleksandra Wozniak 6–7, 2–6, in the first round. At the French Open, Bartoli won her opening match against fellow Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier 3–6, 6–1, 6–3. Bartoli was then upset by Tathiana Garbin of Italy in the second round 3–6, 5–7.
On grass, Bartoli advanced to the second round in Eastbourne by easing past Gisela Dulko 6–3, 6–1, Anna Chakvetadze 7–5, 6–3, and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–1, 6–4, before retiring with an injury against Virginie Razzano whilst trailing 4–6, 0–1. Seeded 12th at Wimbledon, Bartoli dominated Chan Yung-jan 6–0, 6–0. She then defeated Timea Bacsinszky in the second round 7–5, 6–1, but fell 6–7, 0–6, to Francesca Schiavone in the third round.
Bartoli played her first tournament of the US Open Series in Stanford as eighth seed. She won the title by defeating Ayumi Morita 7–6, 6–3, Melanie Oudin 7–5, 6–4, Jelena Janković 3–6, 7–6, 6–3, saving two match points in the second set, Samantha Stosur in the semifinals 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, and second seed Venus Williams in the finals 6–2, 5–7, 6–4, to win her second title of the year and fifth overall.[10] Bartoli was seeded 13th at the Cincinnati Masters, but fell to Kim Clijsters in her comeback match, in the first round 4–6, 3–6. She then lost in the first round of Toronto to Alona Bondarenko 4–6, 3–6. In New Haven, she beat María José Martínez Sánchez 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, but retired from the next round against Magdaléna Rybáriková.
Seeded 14th at the 2009 US Open, Bartoli crushed Rossana de los Ríos 6–1, 6–0, but lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters 7–5, 1–6, 2–6. Seeded 14th at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli won over Sorana Cîrstea 6–3, 6–0, Aravane Rezaï 6–4, 6–2, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4–6, 6–2, 7–5. In the quarterfinals, Marion lost to 7th seed Jelena Janković, 4–6, 3–6. Marion entered the China Open in Beijing and was seeded 14. She defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, Alisa Kleybanova, 6–2, 6–3, Zhang Shuai, 6–1, 6–4, and Vera Zvonareva, 3–6, 7–5, 6–2. In the semifinals, Marion lost to 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska, 4–6, 3–6, despite being up a break at stages in both sets. As second seed in Osaka, Japan, Bartoli defeated Galina Voskoboeva, 6–3, 7–5, and Kurumi Nara, 6–1, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, Bartoli was defeated by Sania Mirza, as Marion retired due to pain in her right shoulder.
At the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Bartoli defeated Rybáriková, 6–4, 6–4, and qualified for the semifinals when she beat Peer, 6–3, 6–2. She then defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm, 6–1, 6–3. In the final, Bartoli lost the first set to Aravane Rezaï, 5–7, and then retired due to a left quad strain.
Bartoli started her year as the 11th seed at the 2010 Australian Open. She defeated Rossana de los Ríos in the first round, 6–4, 6–1. In the second round, she defeated Sandra Záhlavová, 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, she lost to unseeded and eventual semifinalist Zheng Jie, 7–5, 3–6, 0–6, ending her hopes of reaching the quarterfinals again.
Bartoli then competed at the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was seeded 11th. She defeated qualifier Ekaterina Makarova in the first round, 6–2, 6–0, in just 63 minutes. In the second round, she defeated Alexandra Dulgheru, 6–2, 6–1, in just 57 minutes. In the third round, she lost to 8th seed Li Na 6–3, 5–7, 0–6, despite being up 5–2 in the second set and having two opportunities to serve out the match.
Bartoli then entered the 2010 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where she was seeded 11th. She received a bye in the first round and defeated Polona Hercog 6–4, 6–2, in the second round. In the third round, she defeated American veteran Jill Craybas 6–2, 6–0, to move on to the fourth round, where she was once again defeated by world no. 8 and 5th seed Agnieszka Radwańska 3–6, 2–6. Despite this loss, Marion gained ranking points overall, having improved on her second round exit last year and moved up from no. 16 to no. 15 in the world.
Bartoli's then entered the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, another Premier Mandatory event, where she improved on a disappointing second-0round loss last year. As the 13th seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–2, 6–4, in straight sets, despite being 1–4 down in the second set. In the third round, she defeated unseeded Gisela Dulko 7–6, 6–4, to advance to the fourth round, where she defeated top seed and world no. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–3, 6–0, in under an hour. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 12th seed Yanina Wickmayer 6–4, 7–5, in just under 2 hours. At one stage in the second set, Bartoli was 2–4, 30–40 down against Wickmayer's serve, and later on faced three consecutive set points whilst serving at 4–5, 0–40. Bartoli saved them all, winning 12 of the next 13 points to close in on victory and to book her place in the semifinal against world no. 5 Venus Williams. She lost 3–6, 4–6 to the world no. 5, despite being 3–1 up in the second set. Bartoli also had trouble with her serve and served up four double faults in one game during the match, and seven overall. However, due to Marion's good performance in Miami, she moved up to no. 12 in the world.
Bartoli then began her clay-court season at the 2010 Family Circle Cup, a Premier Event in Charleston. Bartoli was seeded fifth, and as a top-8 seed she received a bye into the second round. She retired against Peng Shuai in her second round match whilst trailing 6–2, 6–7, 3–4, due to dizziness and apparent abdominal pains. She lost her semifinal points from 2009 and dropped one place in the rankings to no. 13.
She then flew to Europe to compete on the red clay and entered the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she had made the quarterfinals in 2009. Marion narrowly missed out on being seeded and had a tough draw, losing to 7th seed and eventual finalist Samantha Stosur in the first round, 2–6, 1–6. Marion lost valuable points again and dropped to no. 14.
Bartoli then competed at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open as the 12th seed. Marion defeated Polona Hercog in the first round, taking 2 hours and 30 minutes to defeat the young clay-court specialist, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. Marion was then upset by world no. 54 Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round 2–6, 0–6.
Bartoli then competed at her final clay-court tournament before the French Open, the 2010 Polsat Warsaw Open, where she was seeded 4th. Despite telling the press that she felt confident with the draw and her physical condition, Marion lost to world no. 78 Klára Zakopalová in the first round 6–4, 1–6, 2–6.
Bartoli then competed at the 2010 French Open as the 12th seed and French no. 1 with only one win on clay under her belt. She drew Maria Elena Camerin in the first round, and she beat her 6–2, 6–3. In the second round, she defeated compatriot and wildcard Olivia Sanchez 7–5, 6–2. She was defeated by Israeli Shahar Pe'er in the third round 6–7, 2–6.
Bartoli was seeded 8th at the AEGON International. Bartoli defeated Vera Dushevina 6–4, 7–5, Ágnes Szávay 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, and María José Martínez Sánchez 5–7, 6–4, 7–6, before falling in the semifinals to Victoria Azarenka 3–6, 5–7. It was the fourth consecutive year that Bartoli had made the semifinals at Eastbourne.
Bartoli was seeded 11th at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Julia Görges in the first round 6–4, 6–3, and moved straight into the third round after Petra Martić withdrew from the tournament with suspected injury. In the third round, Marion defeated qualifier Gréta Arn 6–3, 6–4, before falling 4–6, 4–6 in the fourth round to eventual semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
At the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where she was defending her title, she defeated American Ashley Harkleroad 6–1, 6–4, in the first round. In the second round, she defeated former world no. 1 Ana Ivanović 6–3, 6–4, before falling in the quarterfinals and losing her crown to Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 3–6, 3–6. This loss caused her to drop to world no. 20, the lowest her ranking has been for a few years.
Bartoli then flew to San Diego to compete at the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open, where she was seeded 6th. In the opening round, she was defeated by Daniela Hantuchová 3–6, 7–6, 6–4.
Bartoli then entered the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati and was seeded 16th. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–4, 6–0, in the first round and Alona Bondarenko 7–6, 6–1, in the second round. In the third round, she came back from a break down 3–4 in the first set to defeat second seed and world no. 3 Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated by 10th seed Maria Sharapova 1–6, 4–6.
Seeded 17th at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Bartoli defeated Canadian wildcard Valérie Tétreault in the first round 6–1, 6–0. In the second, she was scheduled to play Lucky Loser Kimiko Date-Krumm, before Kimiko withdrew from the match with a leg injury. Marion received a walkover into the third round, where she crushed qualifier Iveta Benešová 6–0, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated for the third time this year by 10th seed Victoria Azarenka 2–6, 6–7, despite having four set points at 6–2 up in the tiebreak.
At her final tournament before the US Open, the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Bartoli was seeded 6th and defeated Alona Bondarenko in a first-round marathon 6–7, 7–6, 6–3. She defeated Anastasia Rodionova in the second round 6–3, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, Marion lost an exhausting encounter with 4th seed Elena Dementieva 3–6, 6–3, 2–6.
At the 2010 US Open, Marion was seeded 13th and defeated Edina Gallovits 6–3, 6–2, in the first round. In the second round, she was upset by world no. 157 and French compatriot Virginie Razzano 5–7, 4–6.
Putting her disappointing loss at the US Open behind her, Bartoli flew to Canada to compete in the 2010 Bell Challenge in Quebec. Seeded first, she was looking to gain her first title of the year. She hammered Stéphanie Foretz Gacon in the first round 6–1, 6–1, but was upset by Canadian wildcard Rebecca Marino 3–6, 1–6, in the second round. During the match, Bartoli had trouble with her serve, and served eight double faults and three aces in eight service games, whereas Marino served 10 aces and one double fault.
Bartoli then entered the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, a Premier event in Tokyo, where she attempted to defend quarterfinal points. In the first round, she defeated Yanina Wickmayer (the highest ranked unseeded player in the draw at 21) in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4. She defeated Ana Ivanović in the second round, 6–2, 6–1, to book a third-round encounter with 8th-seed Victoria Azarenka. After taking a long medical timeout at 1–4 in the first set, Marion attempted to continue, but after losing the first set 2–6, Bartoli retired due to illness.
Her next tournament was the 2010 China Open, a Premier Mandatory event in Beijing. She faced Ana Ivanović in the first round and lost, 2–6, 3–6.
Bartoli then entered her final tournament of the year, the 2010 HP Open in Osaka, Japan. Ranked no. 16 in the world, she was seeded second behind Samantha Stosur. Bartoli cruised into the quarterfinals by defeating Julie Coin, 6–2, 6–1, and Stefanie Vögele, 6–2, 6–2. She then defeated American veteran Jill Craybas, 6–1, 6–2, to book a place in the semifinals with Tamarine Tanasugarn, where she lost 2–6, 5–7.
Bartoli ended the year at world no. 16 with a total record of 34–21 and a record of 2–4 against top-10 players.
Bartoli kicked off her 2011 season on January 2 with an appearance at the 2011 Brisbane International. She was seeded fourth and defeated American qualifier Vania King in the first round, 6–1, 6–2. She then defeated Czech player Iveta Benešová, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, to book a place in the quarterfinals, where she defeated another Czech player Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, 6–2, 6–1. In the semifinals, she was defeated by Andrea Petkovic 4–6, 2–6, despite being up a double break 4–1 in the first set.
Bartoli was top seeded at the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International in her first appearance at the tournament. A tough test was expected in the first round, as she had drawn former world no. 1 Dinara Safina in the first round. However, Bartoli won easily, 6–0, 6–1. She defeated Elena Vesnina in the next round 6–4, 6–1, before losing to fifth seed Klára Zakopalová in the quarterfinals 4–6, 2–6.
Bartoli was seeded 15th at the 2011 Australian Open Grand Slam, and she played Tathiana Garbin in the first round and won with a double bagel, 6–0, 6–0. She was defeated by Vesna Manasieva is the second round 6–3, 3–6, 0–6, after tearing her right calf muscle at 5–1 in the first set.
Bartoli was expected to be away from the tour for 4–6 weeks to recover from her injury, but she played the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships. She was seeded 10th and defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round 7–6, 6–4. In the second round, she came back from 3–6, 1–4 to defeat Timea Bacsinszky 3–6, 6–4, 6–1. In the third round, she was defeated by 8th seed Agnieszka Radwańska 3–6, 2–6.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open in Doha. With a strong field, Marion was unseeded and defeated Alisa Kleybanova in the first round 7–5, 6–2. She then crushed Shahar Pe'er, 6–1, 6–0, in the second round to book a quarterfinal place against Peng Shuai, whom she beat 6–2, 6–2. She then faced world no. 1 and first seed Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. However, she lost in straight sets 1–6, 1–6.
Bartoli’s next stop was the 2011 BMV Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. Playing there for the first time, Bartoli was seeded second behind Francesca Schiavone. In the first round, she crushed Maria-Elena Camerin 6–0, 6–1. She defeated Ekaterina Ivanova in the second round 6–2, 6–1, before losing to fifth seed Lucie Šafářová in the quarterfinals 1–6, 4–6.
Bartoli was seeded 15th at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Like all seeds, she received a bye into the second round, where she faced qualifier and fellow double-hander Monica Niculescu. Bartoli came from a set and a break down at 2–6, 1–2 to win 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. She then cruised past 21st seed Andrea Petkovic in the third round 6–4, 6–2, to book a fourth-round encounter with second seed Kim Clijsters. Clijsters won the first set 6–3, but at 1–3 in the second set Clijsters retired due to a right shoulder injury. Bartoli edged 19th seed Ana Ivanović in the quarterfinals 6–4, 7–6, and easily defeated 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer 6–1, 6–3, in the semifinals to reach the final, where she played against world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Bartoli was defeated 1–6, 6–2, 3–6, but returned to the top 10, regardless of the loss.
Seeded 15th at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Bartoli received a bye into the second round, where she defeated Ayumi Morita 6–3, 2–6, 6–1. She then defeated Ekaterina Makarova 6–0, 6–2, before falling to third seed Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round 6–2, 3–6, 2–6.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Family Circle Cup, where she was seeded fourth. As a top-8 seed, she received a bye into the second round, where she was defeated by Sabine Lisicki 2–6, 3–6.
Bartoli was seeded 8th at the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and defeated Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round 6–4, 6–1. Kristina Barrois defeated her in the second round in straight sets.
Bartoli was seeded first at the 2011 Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, and Magdaléna Rybáriková defeated her in the first round in straight sets.
Bartoli's next tournament was the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja 6–3, 6–2, before losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 5–7, 1–6, in the second round.
Her poor form on clay continued into the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she lost in the second round to Anabel Medina Garrigues 4–6, 3–6.
Seeded first at the 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Bartoli reached the semifinals, after defeating Kimiko Date-Krumm 6–2, 6–1, receiving a walkover from Elena Baltacha and defeating 8th seed Lucie Hradecká 6–2, 6–3. She then defeated seventh seed Anabel Medina Garrigues to face second seed Andrea Petkovic in the final. However, she had to retire early in the second set.
Seeded 11th at the 2011 French Open, Bartoli won her opening round against Anna Tatishvili 1–6, 6–2, 6–1. In the second round, she beat Olga Govortsova in a tight baseline battle in just under three hours 6–4, 6–7, 6–2. Bartoli then defeated 17th seed Julia Goerges 3–6, 6–2. 6–4. She moved to the quarterfinals after Gisela Dulko retired from their fourth round match at 7–5, 1–0. Bartoli's dream of playing in the second week of her home slam became a reality, as she faced 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. After two hours, Bartoli moved into the final four with a 7–6, 6–4 win. In the semifinals, she faced defending champion, Francesca Schiavone. Bartoli eventually lost, bringing her French Open campaign to an end 3–6, 3–6.
Moving onto the grass, Bartoli won the 2011 AEGON International at Eastbourne by defeating Lucie Šafářová 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6–3, 6–3. She then moved past third seed Victoria Azarenka, when Victoria retired during their match due to a thigh injury. Bartoli reached the semifinals for the fifth straight year and beat seventh seed Samantha Stosur. She then beat eighth seed Petra Kvitová to win the title.
Seeded ninth at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, Bartoli breezed into the second round with a 6–0, 6–2 win over Czech qualifier Kristyna Pliskova. Her next opponent was Lourdes Dominguez Lino, whom she defeated 4–6, 7–5, 6–2. She advanced to the third round and faced the 21st seed, Flavia Pennetta. Bartoli finally won the match, which lasted over three hours, with a score of 5–7, 6–4, 9–7. She then defeated defending champion and grass-court veteran Serena Williams in the fourth round in straight sets 6–3, 7–6. Bartoli described beating Williams as the greatest win of her life.[11] In the quarterfinals, she lost 4–6, 7–6, 1–6 to Sabine Lisicki in a match notable for taking place under the centre-court roof in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm.
Seeded third at Stanford, Bartoli received a bye into the second round. She then defeated Rebecca Marino 6–4, 6–3, to move into the quarterfinals, thus defending her points from 2010. She reached the semifinals when Ayumi Morita retired from their match after losing the first set 1–6. Bartoli earned a spot in the final after 8th seed Dominika Cibulková withdrew due to an abdominal injury.[12] In the final, Bartoli was defeated by Serena Williams, 5–7, 1–6. Bartoli held a 4–2 lead in the first set, before injuring her right hand. She even served for the first set at 5–4, but her game diminished to hand Williams her first title after her comeback from injury.
Bartoli entered the 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto and lost in the first round 3–6, 3–6 to Kazakh qualifier Galina Voskoboeva. At the 2011 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she beat Alona Bondarenko. 6–1, 6–2. but she lost in the second round to Daniela Hantuchova. 3–6, 7–5, 3–6. Due to her lack of match play before the US Open, Bartoli accepted a wildcard into the 2011 New Haven Open at Yale. She won her opening two rounds, defeating Anastasia Rodionova 6–1, 6–4, and Klara Zakopalova 6–2, 2–6, 6–1, before losing to Petra Cetkovska in the quarterfinals 5–7, 5–7.
At the 2011 US Open, Bartoli suffered another second-round exit. After defeating Alexandra Panova in the first round 7–5, 6–3, she lost to American teenager Christina McHale 6–7, 2–6.
Following her poor run in the United States, Bartoli's ranking dropped to no. 10, and her RACE ranking dropped to no. 8, causing her to increase her schedule to five tournaments during the Asia tour.
Seeded second at the 2011 Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, Bartoli defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives in the first round, 6–2, 6–2. Her second-round opponent was Vania King, who defeated her, 3–6, 5–7. Bartoli hit 17 double faults during the match.
Seeded seventh at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli received a bye in the opening round, before defeating Ayumi Morita 6–3, 0–6, 6–3. She defeated Peng Shuai 6–2, 6–1, to reach the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by third seed Victoria Azarenka 5–7, 0–6.
Seeded eighth at the 2011 China Open, Bartoli defeated Iveta Benesova in the first round 3–6, 6–4, 7–5. In the second round, she cruised past Christina McHale, 6–2, 6–1. In the third round, she came up against ninth seed Andrea Petkovic. Bartoli built up a 6–4, 3–1 lead before losing 10 of the next 12 games to go 6–4, 4–6, 1–5 down. Bartoli battled back to 5–5, before losing two more games to lose the match 4–6, 6–4, 7–5, making her hopes of qualifying for the year-end championships uncertain.
At the 2011 HP Open in Osaka, Bartoli defeated Melinda Czink 6–2, 6–2, Vania King 6–1, 6–2, 6th seed Ayumi Morita 6–2, 6–1 and No.3 seed Angelique Kerber 6–1, 7–6 to reach the final. She took the title by defeating No.1 seed and US Open Champion Samantha Stosur 6–3, 6–1 in 1 hour 14 minutes. She then entered the 2011 Kremlin Cup in Moscow as the No.3 seed. She received a bye into the second round and defeated Ksenia Pervak 6–1, 6–1. Bartoli then withdrew from the tournament due to a viral illness.
Bartoli finished the year 9th in the race to the Year End Championships in Istanbul, thus earning a place as the first alternate player alongside Andrea Petkovic who finished 10th. Following the withdrawal of No.2 seed Maria Sharapova after her second of three matches, Bartoli took the place of Sharapova in the final match against Victoria Azarenka, which she won 5–7, 6–4, 6–4.
Due to winning the 2011 HP Open title, she qualified for the 2011 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia. She was the No.1 seed but had to retire in her opening match against Anabel Medina Garrigues due to injuring her ankle at 6–4, 6–7, 0–1.
Bartoli finished the year ranked No.9 in the world with her best Win-Loss record of her career with 58–24. She reached an astonishing 15 quarterfinals, 8 semi-finals and 5 finals and won 2 titles (Eastbourne and Osaka), resulting in her best year financially, earning $1,722,863 in tournament prize money alone.
Bartoli competed for France alongside Richard Gasquet in the 2012 Hopman Cup. They defeated China 2–1, Australia 3–0 and Spain 2–0 to book a place in the final against the Czech Republic which they lost 0–2.
Ranked No.9, Bartoli entered her first WTA tournament of the year in Sydney and was seeded 8th. In the first round she defeated Polona Hercog 6–3, 6–3. In the second round she defeated Jelena Dokic 6–0, 6–3 to set up a quarterfinal clash with No.3 seed Victoria Azarenka. She lost 5–7, 4–6 despite being up a break in both sets.
At the 2012 Australian Open, Bartoli defeated compatriot Virginie Razzano 7–5, 6–0 in the first round, and Jelena Dokic 6–3, 6–2 in the second round. In the third round she was upset by Zheng Jie 6–3, 6–3. Despite the premature exit, Bartoli broke into the top eight in the rankings for the first time.
Ranked No.7, Bartoli was seeded 2nd behind Maria Sharapova for the 2012 Open GDF Suez in Paris, an indoor tournament commencing on 6th February. She received a bye into the second round where she defeated Petra Martic 7–5, 6–1. In the quarterfinals she defeated No.7 seed Roberta Vinci in a marathon match. Bartoli lost the first set and rallied back from a double break down in both the second and third sets to clinch a 4–6, 6–4, 7–6 victory. In the semifinals she defeated Klara Zakopalova 7–6, 6–0 but in the final she lost to No.9 seed Angelique Kerber 6–7, 7–5, 3–6.
In Doha, Bartoli was seeded fifth and advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–2, 6–0, Tsvetana Pironkova 6–3, 6–3 and Lucie Safarova 7–5, 4–6, 6–1. She retired due to an injury at 3–6, 0–0 against No.3 seed Samantha Stosur in the semi-finals.
At Indian Wells, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals by defeating Varvara Lepchenko, Chanelle Scheepers and Lucie Safarova. She fell to Ana Ivanovic 3–6, 4–6.
Seeded 7th in Miami, and armed with her new Prince EXO3 Warrior racket, Bartoli received a bye into the second round where she defeated Polona Hercog 5–7, 6–2, 6–1. In the third round she came back from a 2–5 deficit in the second set to defeat Simona Halep 6–4, 7–6. In the fourth round she crushed No.22 seed Maria Kirilenko 6–1, 6–2. Bartoli's big victory came in the quarterfinals where she defeated World No.1 Victoria Azarenka 6–3, 6–3, ending Azarenka's 26 match win streak. In the semi-finals she was defeated by No.5 seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6–4, 6–2.
At Charleston, Bartoli was seeded No.3 and received a bye into the second round where she defeated Vera Dushevina 6–2, 6–7(3), 6–4. In the third round she lost to Polona Hercog 6–4, 1–6, 6–4.
Ranked and seeded No.7, Bartoli entered the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. In the first round she defeated qualifier Iveta Benesova 6–3, 6–2. Bartoli was then crushed 6–3, 6–1 by rising star Mona Barthel in the second round. Bartoli didn't perform any better at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open where she was defeated by Sorana Cirstea 6–7(8), 6–4, 6–3 in the first round. Seeded 7th once again, Bartoli entered the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome and got a bye into the second round where she lost 6–3, 6–1 to Julia Goerges. Bartoli then lost in the first round of Brussels to Urszula Radwanska 6–4, 6–2.
Bartoli dropped to No.8 in the world and was seeded 8th at the 2012 French Open in Paris, where she is defending semifinal points from last year. Having only won 1 match on red clay in 2012, Bartoli will play against qualifier Karolina Pliskova in the first round.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marion Bartoli |
|
|
|
|
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Bartoli, Marion |
Alternative names | |
Short description | French tennis player |
Date of birth | October 2, 1984 |
Place of birth | Geneva, Switzerland |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010) |
This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating.
|
Dominique Dord (born September 1, 1959 in Chambéry, Savoie) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Savoie department,[1] and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement.
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Dord, Dominique |
Alternative names | |
Short description | French politician |
Date of birth | September 1, 1959 |
Place of birth | |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
This article about a Union for a Popular Movement of France politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Nigel Farage MEP |
|
---|---|
Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 5 November 2010 |
|
Preceded by | Jeffrey Titford |
In office 27 September 2006 – 27 November 2009 |
|
Preceded by | Roger Knapman |
Succeeded by | Lord Pearson of Rannoch |
Member of the European Parliament for South East England |
|
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 15 July 1999 |
|
Personal details | |
Born | (1964-04-03) 3 April 1964 (age 48) Kent, England, United Kingdom |
Nationality | British |
Political party | UK Independence Party |
Spouse(s) | Gráinne Hayes (1988-1997, divorced) Kirsten Mehr (1999-present) |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Dulwich College |
Religion | Church of England |
Website | Nigel Farage MEP |
Nigel Paul Farage ( /ˈfærɑːʒ/, FARR-ahzh;[1] born 3 April 1964, Farnborough, Kent), is a British politician and is the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP),[2] a position he also held from September 2006 to November 2009. He is a Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group.
Farage is a founding member of the UKIP, having left the Conservative Party in 1992 after they signed the Maastricht Treaty. Having unsuccessfully campaigned in European and Westminster parliamentary elections for UKIP since 1994, he gained a seat as an MEP for South East England in the 1999 European Parliament Election — the first year the regional list system was used — and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage describes himself as a libertarian and rejects the notion that he is a conservative.
In September 2006, Farage became the UKIP Leader and led the party through the 2009 European Parliament Election in which it received the second highest share of the popular vote, defeating Labour and the Liberal Democrats with over two million votes. However he stepped down in November 2009 to concentrate on contesting the Speaker John Bercow's seat of Buckingham in the 2010 general election.
At the 2010 General Election, Farage failed to unseat John Bercow and received only the third highest share of the vote in the constituency. Shortly after the polls opened on 6 May 2010, Nigel Farage was injured in an aircraft crash in Northamptonshire. The two-seated PZL-104 Wilga 35A had been towing a pro-UKIP banner when it flipped over and crashed shortly after takeoff. Both Farage and the pilot were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.[3]
In November 2010, Farage successfully stood in the 2010 UKIP leadership contest,[4] following the resignation of its leader, Lord Pearson of Rannoch. Farage was also ranked 41st (out of 100) in The Daily Telegraph's Top 100 most influential right-wingers poll in October 2009, citing his media savvy and his success with UKIP in the European Elections.[5] Farage was ranked 58th in the 2010 list compiled by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati for the Daily Telegraph.
Contents |
Farage was educated at Dulwich College before joining a commodity brokerage firm in London. He ran his own brokerage business from the early 1990s until 2002. In his early 20s Farage was diagnosed with testicular cancer but made a full recovery.[6]
Farage has been married twice. He married Gráinne Hayes in 1988, with whom he had two children: Samuel (1989) and Thomas (1991). In 1999 he married Kirsten Mehr, a German national, by whom he has two more children, Victoria (born 2000) and Isabelle (born 2005).[7]
Farage has also penned his own memoirs, entitled "Fighting Bull." It outlines the founding of UKIP and his personal and political life so far.
Active in the Conservative Party from his school days, Farage left the party in 1992 when John Major's government signed the Treaty on European Union at Maastricht.
Farage became a founding member of UKIP in 1993.
He was elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage is presently the leader of the thirteen-member UKIP contingent in the European Parliament, and co-leader of the multinational eurosceptic group, Europe of Freedom and Democracy.
On 12 September 2006, Farage was elected leader of UKIP with 45% of the vote, 20% ahead of his nearest rival.[8] He pledged to bring discipline to the party and to maximise UKIP's representation in local, parliamentary and other elections.[citation needed] In a PM programme interview on BBC Radio 4 that day he pledged to end the public perception of UKIP as a single-issue party and to work with allied politicians in the Better Off Out campaign, committing himself not to stand against the MPs who have signed up to that campaign (ten in all at this moment).
At his maiden speech to the UKIP conference on 8 October 2006, he told delegates that the party was "at the centre-ground of British public opinion" and the "real voice of opposition". Farage said: "We've got three social democratic parties in Britain — Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative are virtually indistinguishable from each other on nearly all the main issues" and "you can't put a cigarette paper between them and that is why there are nine million people who don't vote now in general elections that did back in 1992."[9]
At 10pm on 19 October 2006, Farage took part in a three-hour live interview and phone-in with James Whale on national radio station talkSPORT. Four days later, Whale announced on his show his intention to stand as UKIP's candidate in the 2008 London Mayoral Election. Farage said that Whale "not only has guts, but an understanding of what real people think". However Whale later decided not to stand and UKIP was represented by Gerard Batten.[10] He stood again for UKIP leadership in 2010 after his successor Lord Pearson stood down.[4] On the 5th November 2010 it was announced Farage had won the leadership contest.[11]
Farage had unsuccessfully contested UK parliamentary elections for UKIP five times, both before and after his election as an MEP in 1999. Under the 2002 European Union decision to forbid MEPs from holding a dual mandate, if he was ever elected to the House of Commons, he would have to resign his seat as an MEP.
When he contested the Bromley & Chislehurst constituency in a May 2006 by-election, organised after the sitting MP representing it, eurosceptic Conservative Eric Forth, died, Farage came third, winning 8% of the vote, beating the Labour Party candidate. This was the second-best by-election result recorded by UKIP out of 25 results, and the first time since the Liverpool Walton by-election in 1991 that a party in government had been pushed into fourth place in a parliamentary by-election on mainland Britain.
On 4 September 2009 Farage resigned as leader of UKIP to concentrate on his campaign to become Member of Parliament for Buckingham at Westminster in the 2010 general election.[12] He later told Times journalist Camilla Long that UKIP internal fights took up too much time.[13]
He stood against Buckingham MP John Bercow, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons, despite a convention that the speaker, as a political neutral, is not normally challenged in his or her bid for re-election by any of the major parties.[14]
On 6 May, on the morning the polls opened in the election, just before eight o'clock Farage was involved in a light aircraft crash, suffering injuries described as non-life-threatening. A spokesperson told the BBC that "it was unlikely Mr Farage would be discharged from hospital today [6 May][15] Although his injuries were originally described as minor, his sternum and ribs were broken, and his lung punctured.[16] The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said that the aeroplane was towing a banner, which caught in the tailplane, forcing the nose down.[17]
Farage came third with 8,401 votes. Bercow was re-elected, and in second place with 10,331 votes was John Stevens, a former Conservative MEP who campaigned as an independent accompanied by "Flipper the Dolphin" (a reference to MPs flipping second homes).[18]
On 1 December 2010, the pilot of the aircraft involved in the accident was charged with threatening to kill Farage. He was also charged with threatening to kill an AAIB official involved in the investigation into the accident.[19] In April 2011, Justin Adams was found guilty of making death threats. The judge said the defendant was "clearly extremely disturbed" at the time the offences happened adding "He is a man who does need help. If I can find a way of giving him help I will."[20]
Farage declared himself personally in favour of the Alternative Vote system of May 2011, saying first-past-the-post is a "nightmare" for UKIP. However, the party's stance has to be decided by its central policy making committee.[21]
In a "bizarre cock-up," UKIP forgot to put their party name on their candidate's ballot paper for the London mayoral election, 2012[22], Laurence Webb appearing as "A fresh choice for London." Farage admitted the mistake describing it as an internal error.[22]
Interviewed by the following Sunday by Andrew Neil and asked about "the game plan", Farage welcomed the "average 13% vote" across the country, and stated that the party was preparing for County council in 2013, European elections in 2014 and a general election in 2015.[23] The party was no longer just a protest vote, it would have a full manifesto with policies including selective schools, help to small businesses by "getting rid of excessive labour practices" and an energy policy not based on wind turbines.[23] UKIP was here to stay ..frankly the Tory Eurosceptics were in the wrong party and would be better off joining UKIP. Asked what would happen to UKIP if the Tories made a Manifesto commitment to a European referendum, Farage said they had already failed to honour a "cast iron" commitment for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.[23]
Challenging Farange's viewpoint, Neil said UKIP aspired to come top of the European elections but whilst UKIP wanted to join the big time, they were still seen as "unprofessional, amateur and even unacceptable" after their press officer called Baroness Warsi "a bitch".[23] Farage regretted "the wrong choice of words" but further described Warsi as "the lowest grade chairman the Tory party has ever had."[23] Neil then mocked the so called internal error which had made Farage "a joke".[23] "The blunt truth is" UKIP "didn't win any more seats, the performance in London was terrible and they were still a one man band."[23] Farage conceded London was a failure but they had won council seats elsewhere. He invited Tories who couldn't stand Cameron to help him.[23]
In 1999 the BBC spent four months filming a documentary about his European elections campaign but didn't show it. Farage, then head of UKIP's South East office, asked for a video and got friends to make illegal copies which were sold for £5 through the UKIP magazine. Surrey Trading Standards investigated and Farage has admitted the offence.[24]
In May 2009, The Guardian reported that Farage had said in a speech to the Foreign Press Association that over ten years as a member of the European Parliament he received £2 million of taxpayers' money in staff, travel, and other expenses on top of his £64,000 a year salary.[25]
The former Europe Minister, Denis MacShane, said that this showed that Farage was "happy to line his pockets with gold". Farage called this a "misrepresentation",[26] pointing out that the money had been used to promote UKIP's message and staff salaries, not his own salary, but he welcomed the focus on the issue of MEP expenses, claiming that "[o]ver a five year term each and every one of Britain's 78 MEPs gets about £1 million. It is used to employ administrative staff, run their offices and to travel back and forth between their home, Brussels and Strasbourg."[27]
On 18 November 2004, Farage announced in the European Parliament that Jacques Barrot, the French Commissioner designate, had been barred from elected office in France for 2 years, after being convicted in 2000 of embezzling £2 million from government funds and diverting it into the coffers of his party. He claimed that French President Jacques Chirac had granted Barrot amnesty. Although initial BBC reports claimed that, under French law, it was illegal even to mention the conviction,[28] the prohibition in question only applies to French officials in the course of their duties.[29] The president of the Parliament, Josep Borrell, enjoined him to retract his comments under threat of "legal consequences".[30] However, the following day it was confirmed that Barrot had received an 8 month suspended jail sentence in the case, and that this had been quickly expunged by the amnesty decided by Chirac and his parliamentary majority. The Commission's president, Jose Manuel Barroso admitted that he had not known of Barrot's criminal record when appointing him as a Commission vice-president.[citation needed] The Socialist and Liberal groups in the European Parliament then joined UKIP in demanding the resignation of Barrot for failing to disclose the conviction during his confirmation hearings.
During the spring of 2005, Farage requested that the European Commission disclose where the individual Commissioners had spent their holidays. The Commission did not provide the information requested, on the basis that the Commissioners had a right of privacy. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso had spent a week on the yacht of the Greek shipping billionaire Spiro Latsis. It emerged soon afterwards that this had occurred a month before the Commission under Barroso's predecessor Romano Prodi approved 10.3 million euro of Greek state aid for Latsis' shipping company.[31] It also became known that Peter Mandelson, then a member of the Commission, had accepted a trip to Jamaica from an unrevealed source.
Farage persuaded around 75 MEPs from across the political divide to back a motion of no confidence in Barroso, which would be sufficient to compel Barroso to appear before the European Parliament to be questioned on the issue.[32] The motion was successfully tabled on 12 May 2005, and Barroso appeared before Parliament[33] at a debate on 26 May 2005. The motion was heavily defeated. A Conservative MEP, Roger Helmer, was expelled from his group, the European People's Party - European Democrats (EPP-ED) in the middle of the debate by that group's leader Hans-Gert Poettering as a result of his support for Farage's motion.
In January 2007, the French farmers' leader Joseph Daul was elected the new leader of the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED), the European Parliamentary grouping which then included the British Conservatives. The UK Independence Party almost immediately revealed that Daul had been under judicial investigation in France since 2004 as part of an inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds worth €16 million (£10.6 million) by French farming unions."[34] It was not suggested that Daul had personally benefited, but was accused of "complicity and concealment of the abuse of public funds." Daul accused Farage of publicising the investigation for political reasons and threatened to sue Farage, but did not do so though the court dropped all charges against him.
Prince Charles gave a speech to the European Parliament on 14 February 2008, in which he called for EU leadership in the war against climate change. During the standing ovation that followed, Farage was the only MEP to remain seated and went on to describe the Prince's advisers as "naïve and foolish at best."[35] Farage continued: "How can somebody like Prince Charles be allowed to come to the European Parliament at this time to announce he thinks it should have more powers? It would have been better for the country he wants to rule one day if he had stayed home and tried to persuade Gordon Brown to give the people the promised referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon." The leader of the UK Labour Party's MEPs, Gary Titley, accused Farage of anti-Royalism. Titley said: "I was embarrassed and disgusted when the Leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, remained firmly seated during the lengthy standing ovation Prince Charles received. I had not realised Mr Farage's blind adherence to right wing politics involved disloyalty and discourtesy to the Royal Family. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should apologise to the British people he represents."[35]
After the speech of Herman Van Rompuy on 24 February 2010 in the European parliament, Farage—to protests from other MEPs—addressed the first long-term President of the European Council saying that he has the "charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of low grade bank clerk".[36] Farage questioned the legitimacy of Van Rompuy's appointment asking "Who are you? I'd never heard of you, nobody in Europe had ever heard of you", he also asserted that Van Rompuy's "intention is to be the quiet assassin of European democracy and of European nation states."[36] In the same speech he also referred to Belgium, the home of Van Rompuy, as "pretty much a non-country".[37] Van Rompuy commented afterwards, "There was one contribution that I can only hold in contempt, but I'm not going to comment further."[36] After refusing to apologise for behaviour that was, in the words of the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, "inappropriate, unparliamentary and insulting to the dignity of the House", Farage was reprimanded and had his right to ten days' allowance (expenses) rescinded.[38] [39]
The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said after his meeting with Farage:
I defend absolutely Mr Farage's right to disagree about the policy or institutions of the Union, but not to personally insult our guests in the European Parliament or the country from which they may come. [. . .] I myself fought for free speech as the absolute cornerstone of a democratic society. But with freedom comes responsibility - in this case, to respect the dignity of others and of our institutions. I am disappointed by Mr Farage's behaviour, which sits ill with the great parliamentary tradition of his own country. I cannot accept this sort of behaviour in the European Parliament. I invited him to apologise, but he declined to do so. I have therefore - as an expression of the seriousness of the matter - rescinded his right to ten days' daily allowance as a Member.[39]
Questioned by Camilla Long, Farage declared of his speech "it wasn't abusive, it was right."[13]
He spoke of the EU being "German-dominated" in a speech at the European-Parliament on 18 November 2011.[40]
From taking office as a UKIP MEP in 1999, Farage has often voiced opposition to the "euro project". His argument is that "a one size fits all interest rate" cannot work for countries with structurally different economies, often using the example of Greece and Germany to emphasise contrast. He predicted the need for 'bailouts' before European Commission and European Central Bank officials admitted that these steps would be necessary. Specifically, Farage predicted that Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain would all require such assistance. To date, Spain is the only predicted country that has not asked for a 'bailout'. Although Spain and Italy have both had indirect assistance from the ECB, whereby secondary government bonds are bought by the central bank, they are prohibited from purchasing new bonds. Farage warns: "You can ignore the markets if you want to, but in time the markets will not ignore you". Farage also reinforces Germany's argument that Italy "should never have joined the euro".
Farage predicts that if the situation continues it will lead to violence due to the people's inability to "determine their own futures through the ballot box" as it will become the only "logical" tool to enable them to escape from their "economic prison" i.e. the Eurozone. He proclaims "I can only hope and pray that the euro project is destroyed by the markets before that really happens."
Farage strongly opposes the use of 'bailouts' and claims that "buying your own debt with tax payers money" will not solve the problem and that, "if we do, the next debt crisis won't be a country", "it will be the European Central Bank itself".[41][42]
Nigel Farage has contested several elections under the United Kingdom Independence Party banner:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nigel Farage |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nigel Farage |
Party political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by ? |
Chairman of the UK Independence Party 1998–2000 |
Succeeded by Mike Nattrass |
Preceded by Roger Knapman |
Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party 2006–2009 |
Succeeded by The Lord Pearson of Rannoch |
Preceded by Jeffrey Titford |
Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party 2010–present |
Incumbent |
|
|
|
|
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Farage, Nigel |
Alternative names | |
Short description | British politician |
Date of birth | 3 April 1964 |
Place of birth | Kent, United Kingdom |
Date of death | |
Place of death |