Dominique de Villepin

Who is Dominique de Villepin?

Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007.

A career diplomat, Villepin rose through the ranks of the French right as one of Jacques Chirac's protégés. He came into the international spotlight as Foreign Minister with his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq which culminated with a speech to the UN.

Villepin was indicted in connection with the Clearstream affair, but was subsequently cleared of charges of complicity in allowing false accusations to proceed against presidential rival Nicolas Sarkozy regarding bribes paid on a sale of warships to Taiwan. Villepin has enjoyed a modest return to public favour for his public critique of President Sarkozy's style of "imperial rule."

He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays, along with a study of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Villepin is an Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

He has been one of the most vocal right-wing opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy, and on 8 September announced his candidature for President of France in 2012. On 25 March 2010, he announced that he would form a new center-right political movement in order to offer an alternative to Sarkozy in the 2012 election. However, Villepin failed to secure sufficient support to allow his candidacy to proceed.