Convicted of corruption and ostracised by the party he once controlled, Nicolas Sarkozy seemed to be a waning figure eclipsed by his glamorous wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
This week, however, France’s right-wing former president has been back in the headlines amid claims that he is the power behind President Macron’s throne.
Not only has Macron filled his cabinet with ministers who once served his predecessor, but he appears to be using Sarkozy’s recipe for fighting the growing challenge from Marine Le Pen, the populist right National Rally figurehead.
At the age of 68, and despite facing four separate corruption cases, Sarkozy can dream of orchestrating a tie-up between the Republicans, the right-wing party he founded, and Macron’s centrist alliance. That would enable him to push
