Description: © 2009 Ben Heine

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Jean Sarkozy is the son of the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy from his first marriage, to Marie-Dominique Culioli. Jean is a regional councillor in the city of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and (still) registered as a 1st year Law student at Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University in 2007.

In 2009 Jean was offered to become head of Epad, the development agency for La Défense, just west of Paris. La Défense is an important office center, with 43 high-rise buildings, and its development agency controls an annual budget of more than 1 billion euro. French and many international newspapers reported this as a new case of nepotism. Much criticism has been made about the obvious lack of academic qualities and professional experience for such a high position. An online petition against the nomination has been diffused in all of the major news outlets and receives some 10,000 signatures a day. In October 2009, a survey found that 64% of French people oppose the arrival of Sarkozy at the Epad.

The controversy prompted various ironic comments from the international press. The Daily Mail noted that "when asked whether the President's son might be a bit young for such a relatively prestigious job, [EPAD's current president] responded using the traditional French political foil of quoting classic literature: 'In souls nobly born, valour does not depend upon age". The Times calls the nomination an "astonishing act of nepotism by Nicolas Sarkozy" and reminds that "[Jean], who is repeating his second year of undergraduate law at the Sorbonne, after having repeated the first year. was elected to a Neuilly seat on the notoriously sleaze-ridden departement council last year. He was immediately given the job of heading Dad's Union for a Popular Movement on the body."

The President of Medef replied to these criticisms saying she believed it was "fantastic that a young and motivated man" may want to be at the head of the largest business district in France. Likewise, Nicolas Sarkozy defended his son by saying that "it's never good when someone is attacked in an excessive manner for no reason", not long however after having been mocked by some French medias for having fiercely underlined during an unrelated speech on high school reform that "what matters in France to succeed does not anymore relate to birth privileges, rather, to succeed, it is important to work hard and to have demonstrated significant skills at school, at work." Jean Sarkozy said he is not going to give up the position, and demanded on French television not to be judged on his name, but on his acts. He received the support of David Douillet, a former champion of the world of Judo, newly elected as a deputé under the flag of UMP.