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 (French address on Iraq at the UN Security Council).
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.
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.
Villepin was born in Rabat, Morocco, and spent some time in Venezuela, where his family lived for four years. He graduated from the Lycée Français de New York in 1971. He has three children: Marie (b. 1986, a model), Arthur, and Victoire (b. 1989).
Villepin's family derives from the middle class (the family was never aristocratic, and was responsible for adding the particle "de" to their own name). His great-grandfather was a colonel in the French army, his grandfather was a board member for several companies, and his father Xavier de Villepin, now retired, was a diplomat and a member of the Senate. Villepin speaks French, English and Spanish.
Link to Wikipedia biography
