Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a big step toward, from the political wilderness he had been in, by winning the leadership of the conservative (UMP) party.
It was expected that Sarkozy would win the leadership of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) leadership in the vote by party members on Saturday.
The 59-year-old Gaullist collected 64.5 percent of the vote to defeat former government ministers Bruno Le Maire and Herve Mariton — the margin wasn’t as large as some had expected.
