page_title: Dominique de Villepin
section_title: Prime Minister of France
hierarchical_section_title: Dominique de Villepin / Career / Prime Minister of France
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: L'Association nationale des auditeurs jeunes de l'Institut des hautes études de défense nationale (ANAJ-IHEDN) reçue à Matignon à l'occasion de son 10e anniversaire (2006). Dominique de Villepin, Premier ministre.
context_page_description: Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
  In his career working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, De Villepin rose through the ranks of the French right as one of Chirac's protégés. He came into the international spotlight as Minister of Foreign Affairs with his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, one year after his appointment to the office, which culminated with a speech to the United Nations. Before his tenure as Prime Minister, he also served as Minister of the Interior.
  After being replaced by François Fillon as Prime Minister, De Villepin was indicted in connection with the Clearstream affair, but was subsequently cleared of charges of complicity in allowing false accusations to proceed against presidential rival Nicolas Sarkozy regarding bribes paid on a sale of warships to Taiwan. De Villepin enjoyed a modest return to public favour for his public critique of President Sarkozy's style of "imperial rule."
  He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays, along with a study of Napoleon.
context_section_description: President Chirac was at one point thought to have turned his eye on Villepin as a possible successor, assuming that he himself would not enter the 2007 presidential contest. However, Nicolas Sarkozy was chosen to represent the centre-right UMP party.
  On 29 May 2005, French voters in the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe turned down the proposed document by a wide margin. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Villepin as Prime Minister of France.
caption: Villepin speaking at the Hôtel Matignon in 2006
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