Rachida Dati
Encyclopedia
Rachida Dati is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament
, representing Île-de-France
. Before her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy
during the French presidential election of 2007
. After his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to his Government
on 18 May 2007.
She was elected mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris on 29 March 2008.
father, a bricklayer
named Mbarek, and an Algeria
n mother, named Fatima-Zohra. Rachida Dati is the second child of a family of 12. She spent her childhood in Chalon-sur-Saône
in Bourgogne.
After attending Catholic school, she began work at 16 as a paramedical assistant. She then worked for three years as an accountant at Elf Aquitaine
while continuing her studies in economics and business management.
After meeting Jean-Luc Lagardère
in 1990, she entered the audit management team of Matra Nortel communication. She later spent a year in London at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
, in the records management and archiving department. In 1994, she was an auditing supervisor and secretary-general of the bureau of urban development studies at Suez (then Lyonnaise des Eaux). From 1995 to 1997, she worked as a technical advisor at the legal management division of the Ministry of Education
.
In 1997, she was admitted to the École nationale de la magistrature
, a public educational institution which offers courses necessary to become a magistrate. Upon leaving in 1999, she became a legal auditor at the Bobigny
tribunal de grande instance (high court).
She went on to become judge for collective procedures at the in Péronne
and eventually an assistant to the attorney general
of the Évry tribunal.
In 2002, she became Nicolas Sarkozy
's advisor, working for him on an anti-delinquency project. In 2006, she joined the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) party. On 14 January 2007, she was named spokesperson for Sarkozy on the day he was chosen as UMP candidate for the presidential elections of April 2007.
After Sarkozy's victory on 6 May 2007, she was appointed Minister of Justice
. Her first changes were received coldly by professionals, with public demonstrations.
On 23 January 2009 Nicolas Sarkozy announced that Dati would take the second position on the UMP list for Île-de-France constituency in the European Parliament election in June 2009, to which she was elected. She left her post as minister after being elected as European deputy.
Soon after she left the government, in summer 2009, Rachida Dati founded a consulting company called "La Bourdonnais consultant," which she had to dissolve at the beginning of 2010 to be able to accede, by special dispensation (like other former magistrates), to the profession of lawyer.
On 27 September 2010 Ms Dati was reported to have mistakenly used the word 'fellatio' in place of 'inflation' in a description of the strategies of certain investment funds. The mistake was quickly picked up and posted on YouTube. Ms Dati later laughed off the whole episode saying she had spoken too quickly. The French word for fellatio is "fellation", which sounds similar to the word "inflation".
for her methods – perceived as rushed and uninsightful – and her demeanour – seen as excessively authoritarian), and for her tendency to wear excessively expensive clothes such as by designer Christian Dior
.
Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals : 2007–2009 (Resignation, became member of European Parliament
in 2009).
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament
: Since 2009.
Municipal Council
Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris : Since 2008.
Councillor of Paris : Since 2008.
, 18 January 2007* Rachida Dati La Beurgeoise, La Beurgeoisie, 10 June 2008
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
, representing Île-de-France
Île-de-France (European Parliament constituency)
In European elections, Île-de-France is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the region of Île-de-France.-2009:-2004:Brackets indicate the number of votes per seat won....
. Before her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
during the French presidential election of 2007
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
. After his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to his Government
French government ministers
The Cabinet of France is a body of top administration members of the Prime Minister's Cabinet. In French, the word gouvernement generally refers to the "Administration", but in a narrower sense to the Cabinet.The Council is responsible to the French National Assembly...
on 18 May 2007.
She was elected mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris on 29 March 2008.
Biography
Dati was born to a MoroccanMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
father, a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
named Mbarek, and an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n mother, named Fatima-Zohra. Rachida Dati is the second child of a family of 12. She spent her childhood in Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
in Bourgogne.
After attending Catholic school, she began work at 16 as a paramedical assistant. She then worked for three years as an accountant at Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003...
while continuing her studies in economics and business management.
After meeting Jean-Luc Lagardère
Jean-Luc Lagardère
Jean-Luc Lagardère was a major French businessman, CEO of the Lagardere Group, one of the largest French conglomerates....
in 1990, she entered the audit management team of Matra Nortel communication. She later spent a year in London at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
, in the records management and archiving department. In 1994, she was an auditing supervisor and secretary-general of the bureau of urban development studies at Suez (then Lyonnaise des Eaux). From 1995 to 1997, she worked as a technical advisor at the legal management division of the Ministry of Education
Minister of National Education (France)
The Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sport , or simply "Minister of National Education," as the title has changed no small number of times in the course of the Fifth Republic) is the French government cabinet member charged with running France's public educational system and with the...
.
In 1997, she was admitted to the École nationale de la magistrature
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
, a public educational institution which offers courses necessary to become a magistrate. Upon leaving in 1999, she became a legal auditor at the Bobigny
Bobigny
Bobigny is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny...
tribunal de grande instance (high court).
She went on to become judge for collective procedures at the in Péronne
Péronne
Péronne is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Péronne, Saône-et-Loire, in the Saône-et-Loire département* Péronne, Somme, in the Somme département* Péronne-en-Mélantois, in the Nord département...
and eventually an assistant to the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of the Évry tribunal.
In 2002, she became Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
's advisor, working for him on an anti-delinquency project. In 2006, she joined the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP) party. On 14 January 2007, she was named spokesperson for Sarkozy on the day he was chosen as UMP candidate for the presidential elections of April 2007.
After Sarkozy's victory on 6 May 2007, she was appointed Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (France)
The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice , a top-level cabinet position in the French government. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier...
. Her first changes were received coldly by professionals, with public demonstrations.
On 23 January 2009 Nicolas Sarkozy announced that Dati would take the second position on the UMP list for Île-de-France constituency in the European Parliament election in June 2009, to which she was elected. She left her post as minister after being elected as European deputy.
Soon after she left the government, in summer 2009, Rachida Dati founded a consulting company called "La Bourdonnais consultant," which she had to dissolve at the beginning of 2010 to be able to accede, by special dispensation (like other former magistrates), to the profession of lawyer.
On 27 September 2010 Ms Dati was reported to have mistakenly used the word 'fellatio' in place of 'inflation' in a description of the strategies of certain investment funds. The mistake was quickly picked up and posted on YouTube. Ms Dati later laughed off the whole episode saying she had spoken too quickly. The French word for fellatio is "fellation", which sounds similar to the word "inflation".
Style
Dati has been criticized by the satirical weekly Le Canard enchaînéLe Canard enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné is a satirical newspaper published weekly in France. Founded in 1915, it features investigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and humorous cartoons.-Early...
for her methods – perceived as rushed and uninsightful – and her demeanour – seen as excessively authoritarian), and for her tendency to wear excessively expensive clothes such as by designer Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
.
Family
In September 2008, Dati announced that she was pregnant and would be a single mother. She revealed her pregnancy to a group of reporters who questioned her about mounting rumours. "I want to remain careful, because . . . I am still in the risky stage. I am 42", she was quoted as saying.Political career
Governmental functionsMinister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals : 2007–2009 (Resignation, became member of European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 2009).
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: Since 2009.
Municipal Council
Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris : Since 2008.
Councillor of Paris : Since 2008.
Diplomas
- Maîtrise en sciences économiques (4-year French degree in economics)
- Maîtrise en droit public (public law by VAE (Validation des Acquis de l'Experience)VAE (Validation des Acquis de l'Experience)The VAE or Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience is a procedure that allows any French educational institution to grant degrees partly or totally on work experience. A porfolio of the applicant's achievements and work experience is presented to a committee at the educational institution...
)
External links
*Rachida Dati-Xavier Bertrand : les deux voix de Sarkozy, LibérationLibération
Libération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
, 18 January 2007* Rachida Dati La Beurgeoise, La Beurgeoisie, 10 June 2008