Nicolas Sarkozy. Photo: AFPAFP · 22 Aug 2016, 16:24Published: 22 Aug 2016 16:24 GMT+02:00Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday announced he will seek his party's nomination to stand in next year's presidential election. "I have decided to be a candidate in the 2017 presidential election," Sarkozy, who was president between 2007 and 2012, wrote in a foreword to a new book to be released Wednesday and seen by AFP. Sarkozy said France's "top battle" was over how "to defend our lifestyle without being tempted to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world." Ce livre est le point de départ -NS #ToutpourlaFrance pic.twitter.com/22pIXvfWq5 — Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy) August 22, 2016It comes as no great surprise that Sarkozy has announced his presidential ambitions, with another book he penned in January this year widely seen as the launchpad for his presidency bid.

Source: The Local August 22, 2016 14:36 UTC