Nicolas Sarkozy's victory speech

6 May, 2007 - Salle Gaveau, Paris

My dear countrymen,

In addressing you tonight, on this exceptional night in the life of a man, I feel immense emotion.

From a very young age I have felt the unspeakable pride of belonging to a great, old and beautiful nation: France. I love it like one loves those who have given them all they have. Now it is my turn to give France my all.

Tonight, my thoughts and thanks go out the millions of Frenchmen that entrusted in me their confidence. I want to tell them that they have given me the greatest honor I can imagine: the responsibility of presiding over the destiny of France.

My thoughts and thanks go out to all those that helped me during this campaign. I want them to know that they have all of my gratitude and affection.

My thoughts and thanks go out to Madame Royal. I want to tell her that I respect her because her ideas are those that many French hold dear.

My thoughts go out to all the Frenchmen who did not vote for me. I want to tell them that despite political disagreements, despite divergences of opinion, there is for me only one France.

I want to tell them that I will be the president of all Frenchmen; that I will speak for one and all. I want to tell them tonight that this is not the victory of one France against another. The only victory tonight for me is that of democracy, that of the values that unite us, that of the ideas that bind us. My priority is to ensure that all Frenchmen may get along, understand each other and work together.

The French people have spoken. They have chosen a rupture with the ideas, the habits and the behaviors of the past. I want to reinvigorate the ideas of work, authority, morality, respect and merit. I want to re-establish the honor of the nation and the national identity. I want to return to the French the pride of being French. I want to put an end to the repentance of France’s history that has become a form of self hatred; to the revisionism that feeds the anger amongst us.

The French people have chosen change. This change I will put into action because of the mandate I have received and because France needs it. But I will so with all the French. I will do so in the spirit of unity and brotherhood. I will do everything to ensure that no one feels excluded or left behind. I will do so in the spirit that all can find a place in our Republic, that all will feel recognized and respected in their dignity as citizens and humans. All those that have been wounded and run down by the challenges of life should know that they will not be abandoned, that they will be helped, that they will be rescued. All those who feel that despite all their efforts they still have nothing must know that they will not be left aside and will get the same chances as everyone else.

I call on all of the French, regardless of their party, their loyalties and their origins, to unite behind me so that we may re-launch France.

I call on everyone to resist being closed off by intolerance and sectarianism, to open themselves to others, to those who have different ideas and other convictions.

I would like to reach out to our European partners, with whom our destiny is tied, to tell them that all my life I have been a European, that I believe in the European project and that this evening France is on its way back to Europe. But we must listen to the voices of people that need to be protected. We must not be deaf to those who perceive the European Union not as enormous possibility but as the Trojan horse bringing change and harm to our country.

I would like to reach out to our American friends and tell them that they can count on our friendship, forged in the tragedies of the history that we have faced together. I want to tell them that France will always be at their side whenever they need her. But I would also like to tell them that friendship is to accept that their friends can think differently and that a great nation like the United States must not be obstacle in the fight against global warming, on the contrary, it must take the lead because this is a game that affects all of humanity.

I would like to reach out to all of the Mediterranean peoples to tell them that it is in the Mediterranean that so much is at stake, and that we must surmount all of hatred and make place for the larger and more important dream of peace and civilization. I want to tell them that the time has come to build together a Mediterranean Union that will be a treaty of unity between Europe and Africa.

I would like to launch a fraternal appeal to all Africans to tell them that we want to help them to vanquish disease, famine, poverty and to live in peace. I want to tell them that we will decide together our immigration policy and an ambitious development strategy.

I would like to reach out to all those in the world who believe in the values of tolerance, liberty, democracy and humanity, to all those who are persecuted by tyrants and dictators, and to all the women and children subjugated in the world, to tell them that France will be at their side and that they can count on her.

My dear compatriots, together we are going to write a new page of our history. I am sure that it will be grand and beautiful, and from the bottom of my heart tonight I say to you:

Vive la République !

Vive la France !

> Watch the video of Nicolas Sarkozy's victory speech <
(Source : BBC)