(FILES) This file photo taken on May 12, 2016 shows Former French president and president of France's right-wing Les Republicains (LR) party, Nicolas Sarkozy, delivering a speech during a visit to Jonage, central-eastern France. Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy on August 22, 2016 announced he will seek his party's nomination to stand in next year's presidential election. "I have decided to be a candidate in the 2017 presidential election," Sarkozy, who was president between 2007 and 2012, wrote in a foreword to a new book to be released on August 24, 2016 and seen by AFP. Sarkozy also posted a link to the extract on his Twitter account. / AFP PHOTO / JEFF PACHOUD