Rachida Dati facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rachida Dati
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Minister of Culture | |
| Assumed office 11 January 2024 |
|
| Prime Minister | Gabriel Attal Michel Barnier François Bayrou |
| Preceded by | Rima Abdul Malak |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 18 May 2007 – 23 June 2009 |
|
| Prime Minister | François Fillon |
| Preceded by | Pascal Clément |
| Succeeded by | Michèle Alliot-Marie |
| Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris | |
| Assumed office 29 March 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Michel Dumont |
| Councillor of Paris | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2008 |
|
| Constituency | 7th arrondissement |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 14 July 2009 – 1 July 2019 |
|
| Constituency | Île-de-France |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 November 1965 Saint-Rémy, France |
| Citizenship | France • Morocco |
| Political party | Independent (2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Union for a Popular Movement (2006–2015) The Republicans (2015–2024) |
| Spouse |
unknown
(m. 1992; annulled 1995) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Burgundy (MAEs) Panthéon-Assas University (LLB) |
| Occupation | Lawyer • Magistrate • Politician |
Rachida Dati (born 27 November 1965) is a French politician. She is currently the Minister of Culture since January 2024. She serves in the governments led by Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier, and François Bayrou.
Before this, Dati was the Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009. This was during the time Nicolas Sarkozy was President. She was also a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2019. She represented the Île-de-France region.
In 2007, she was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy during his presidential campaign. After he won, she was appointed to the government. She was elected as the Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris in 2008. She also became a member of the Council of Paris that same year.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rachida Dati was born on 27 November 1965 in Saint-Rémy, Burgundy, France. Her father was from Morocco and worked as a bricklayer. Her mother was from Algeria. Her parents moved to France in 1963.
Rachida was the second of eleven children in her family. They were a family with limited money. She grew up in Chalon-sur-Saône. Even though her family was Muslim, she went to Catholic schools. She sees herself as a "daughter of France."
Dati studied at the University of Burgundy in Dijon. There, she earned a master's degree in Economics. She also studied at Panthéon-Assas University in Paris. She later received a law degree from there.
Starting Her Career
When she was sixteen, Rachida Dati started working. She worked as a maid and as a helper in medical settings. Later, she worked as an accountant at a company called Elf Aquitaine for three years while studying at university.
She tried to study medicine but did not pass her first year twice. In 1985, she completed a degree in economics. In 1990, she joined an audit team at Matra Nortel communication. She also spent a year in London working at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
From 1994 to 1997, she worked in auditing and legal management for different companies and the Ministry of Education. In 1997, she was accepted into the École nationale de la magistrature. This is a special school to become a judge or prosecutor. After finishing in 1999, she became a legal auditor. She then became a judge and later an assistant to the attorney general.
Becoming a Politician
In 2002, Dati started working as an advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy. She helped him with a project to fight crime. In 2006, she joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) political party. In January 2007, she became a spokesperson for Sarkozy. This was when he was chosen as the UMP candidate for the presidential elections.
Minister of Justice (2007-2009)
After Sarkozy won the election in May 2007, Rachida Dati was appointed Minister of Justice. This was a very important role. She was the first person born to North African immigrant parents to hold such a high position in the French government.
As Minister of Justice, she made many changes to the court system. These changes were sometimes met with opposition from legal professionals. However, the French Court of Auditors later recognized her reforms as very ambitious and important. She left her role as minister in June 2009.
Member of the European Parliament (2009-2019)
After leaving the government, Dati was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in June 2009. She represented the Île-de-France region. In the European Parliament, she was part of the European People's Party group.
She worked on important committees, including the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. She was also in charge of reports about fighting terrorism. She worked on ways to prevent young Europeans from becoming radicalized. Her work also included looking at prison systems in the European Union. She also helped find solutions for the migration crisis.
Local Politics in Paris
Rachida Dati has also been very active in local politics. She has been serving as the Mayor of the 7th district of Paris since 2008. She is also a member of the Council of Paris.
In 2013, she announced she wanted to run for Mayor of Paris in the 2014 elections. However, she later decided not to run. In 2019, she announced her plan to run for Mayor of Paris again in the 2020 municipal election. After that election, she became the leader of her party's group in the Council of Paris.
Minister of Culture (2024-Present)
On 11 January 2024, Dati made a surprising return to national politics. She was named Minister of Culture in the government led by Gabriel Attal. Because of this, the president of her former party, Les Républicains, announced she was no longer a member.
She kept her position as Minister of Culture in the government of Michel Barnier in September 2024. She also remained in the role in the government of François Bayrou in December.
Personal Life
In November 1992, Rachida Dati married a family friend. This marriage was later annulled in 1995.
In September 2008, Dati announced she was pregnant and would be a single mother. Her daughter was born in January 2009. In 2012, she started legal action to confirm the father of her child. In 2016, a French court ruled that Dominique Desseigne was the father.
In November 2016, the BBC listed her as one of its 100 Women. This recognized her for being a pioneer for Muslim women and minorities in France.
Awards and Honors
Morocco: Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (April 2010)
Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I
See also
In Spanish: Rachida Dati para niños
