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Sarkozy Publishes Prison Diary Urging French Right to Work With Le Pen

The fast-tracked book doubles as a campaign to end conservatives’ long-standing firewall against the RN.

Overview

  • The 213-page Journal d’un prisonnier launched with tightly staged Paris signings that drew long queues and brief protests, and was published by Fayard, a house linked in coverage to Vincent Bolloré’s media network.
  • In the text, Sarkozy urges Les Républicains to consider deals with Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, writes that the RN is not a danger to the Republic, and recounts a supportive phone call with Le Pen during his detention.
  • He details roughly three weeks in La Santé—hard mattress, poor food, isolation, daily exercise and a renewed religious practice—to frame himself as wronged and determined to fight on.
  • Sarkozy remains on conditional release after a five-year sentence in the Libyan funding case, with his appeal scheduled for spring 2026.
  • Separately, France’s Court of Cassation on November 26 upheld his 2012 campaign-finance conviction, making that one-year sentence final.