Nicolas Sarkozy of the rightwing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) won the French presidential run-off on Sunday, scoring a handy victory over Segolene Royal of the left- wing Socialist Party.

Sarkozy won 53 percent of the vote against 47 percent for Royal, who saw her chances of becoming France's first woman president dashed, according to projections by pollsters broadcast by TV channels.

Although Sarkozy's election has yet to be confirmed by official results expected later Sunday night, Royal conceded defeat immediately after all the polling stations closed at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

The victory was in line with all the opinion polls prior to the voting which had indicated a Sarkozy election.

Sarkozy and Royal won the tickets to run-off after finishing first and second in the April 22 first-round vote, with Sarkozy winning 31.2 percent and Royal 25.9 percent.

Following is a brief introduction to Sarkozy.

Born on Jan. 28, 1955 in Paris, Sarkozy is a son of a Hungarian immigrant and a French mother.

Sarkozy became a lawyer after passing the bar exams. He had previously obtained a bachelor's degree in law from the Universite Paris X Nanterre.

Sarkozy entered politics in 1977 when he was just 22 years old. He first became councillor and then mayor of the town of Neuilly- sur-Seine, in a suburb of Paris.

He was appointed interior minister by President Jacques Chirac in the cabinet of Jean-Pierre Raffarin although he betrayed Chirac in the 1995 presidential elections.

He later became finance minister, but was appointed again as interior minister in June 2005, a post he had held until last March.

Since November 2004, he has been president of the UMP.

Nicknamed "Ark," Sarkozy is known for his toughness as interior minister, who is responsible for law enforcement.

During the campaigning, Sarkozy has promised labor market flexibility, strict controls on immigration, and a return to French values. He is also known for his admiration of the United States.

Sarkozy is married to Cecilia Sarkozy and they have a son.

Source: Xinhua