Eric Zemmour: Likely next President of France come Sunday, 24 April 2022
Éric Justin Léon Zemmour (born 31 August 1958) is a French far-right politician, political journalist, essayist, writer, and pundit.
In late 2021, Zemmour declared his candidacy in the 2022 French presidential election. Zemmour was fined for incitement to racial discrimination in 2011 and for incitement of hate against Muslims in 2018, although the latter conviction is pending review before the European Court of Human Rights.
He was acquitted six times of similar charges, in 2008, 2014 (twice), 2016, 2017, and 2019. Zemmour appeared as a television personality on shows such as On n'est pas couché on France 2 (2006–2011) and Ça se dispute on I-Télé (2003–2014).
Zemmour announced his candidacy for the 2022 French presidential election on 30 November 2021. On 5 December 2021, he launched Reconquête, a new political party. In 2021, a New York Times article described Zemmour's views as "hard-line... on immigration, Islam's place in France and national identity", while he self-identifies as Gaullist and Bonapartist.
Zemmour worked in parallel for RTL from 2010 until 2019, first hosting the daily radio show Z come to Zemmour, prior to joining Yves Calvi's morning news show as an analyst.
In 2021, Zemmour was alleged by French gossip magazines to have made his chief campaign advisor Sarah Knafo pregnant, although he recognized her as his partner in January 2022.
Political journalist
Zemmour began his career in 1986 on the politics desk at Le Quotidien de Paris, under the editorship of Philippe Tesson. He subsequently failed twice (in 1980 and 1981) to gain admission to the École Nationale d' administration (ÉNA). However, he later became a member of the admissions committee of the school in 2006.
Personal life
Since 1982, Éric Zemmour has been married to Mylène Chichportich, a lawyer of Tunisian Jewish descent who specializes in bankruptcy law.
He was moved back to Le Figaro as a permanent journalist in 2013, where he wrote regularly, including literary reviews, until he took time off work in September 2021 to promote his new book.
According to Libération, during the 1990s he called for a political union of the French right-wing parties, cultivating proximity with both the founder and president of the National Front Jean-Marie Le Pen ("who Zemmour was unique amongst journalists in addressing as president") and his rival Bruno Mégret.
He was also a political columnist at Le Spectacle du Monde, a monthly publication by the Valeurs Actuelles group, from 2013 until it ceased publication in July 2014. In 2009, he was moved by Le Figaro to Le Figaro Magazine, allegedly after making controversial statements in other media, but in fact, due to his salary being considered too high for his modest weekly output.
The couple has three children, two boys, and a girl.
Education
Zemmour attended Jewish private schools, École Lucien-de-Hirsh and École Yabné.
"I will either be the President of France come 24th of April or Head of the Opposition." Zemmour declared.