Sarah Knafo
Sarah Knafo | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2024 | |
| Constituency | France |
| Member of the Cour des Comptes | |
| In office 9 January 2020 – 15 July 2024 | |
| President | Pierre Moscovici |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1993 |
| Party | REC (2021–present) |
| Other political affiliations | UMP (2011–2015) LR (2015–2021) |
| Domestic partner | Éric Zemmour (2021–present) |
| Alma mater | Panthéon-Sorbonne University Sciences Po École nationale d'administration |
| Occupation | Magistrate • Civil servant |
Sarah Knafo (French pronunciation: [saʁa knafo]; born 24 April 1993) is a French magistrate and politician. She was a member of the Cour des Comptes from 2020 to 2024. A member of Reconquête, she was elected a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2024, where she sits with the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group. She is a candidate in the 2026 Paris municipal election to become mayor of Paris.
Biography
Knafo was born in the Parisian suburb of Les Pavillons-sous-Bois to a family of Sephardic Jews ancestry who had roots in Algeria and Morocco.[1][2][3] Her grandparents moved to France in the wake of the Six Day War.[4] Her mother works as a hypnotherapist and her father is a businessman. Knafo moved to Paris as a teenager.[1]
Professional career
Knafo graduated with a degree in public administration at Sciences Po after a baccalauréat in 2011 and then economics and political science at Panthéon-Sorbonne University in 2014.[5] During her studies, she worked as an intern at the French embassy in Libya (at the time relocated to Tunisia).[6] During that time, she also conducted research into illegal immigration routes from Africa into Europe.[7] In 2020, she began working as a civil servant in Seine-Saint-Denis and became a magistrate.[8]
She worked as an advisor for Éric Zemmour, a friend of her family, in his campaign for the 2022 French presidential election.[7][9][10][11]
In the 2024 European Parliament election in France, she was elected an MEP for Reconquête on the list led by Maréchal.
On 3 October 2024, the Paris prosecutor's office closed the complaint for "spreading false news" filed by the Algerian State after, Knafo claimed, Algeria received 800 million euros in development aid per year from France.[12]
She became a Claremont Institute fellow in 2024.[13]
On 7 January 2026, she announced her candidacy for mayor of Paris in the upcoming municipal election.[14]
Personal life
Knafo previously had a relationship with Louis Sarkozy, the son of former president Nicolas Sarkozy; in January 2022, Éric Zemmour informed the public that Knafo, who is 34 years younger, is his romantic partner.[15]
Regarding her beliefs, Knafo has described herself as Jewish but influenced by Christian culture.[7]
References
- ^ a b Noëmie Leclercq (23 September 2021). "Qui est Sarah Knafo, plus proche conseillère d'Eric Zemmour ?". elle.fr. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Marie-Ève Jamin (23 February 2021). "Sarah Knafo, une jeune énarque de droite discrète et influente". politiquematin.fr. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Éric Zemmour : qui est Sarah Knafo, sa conseillère de l'ombre qui fait la une de Paris-Match ?". ladepeche.fr. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Noëmie Leclercq (23 September 2021). "Qui est Sarah Knafo, plus proche conseillère d'Eric Zemmour ?". elle.fr. Retrieved 26 November 2021..
- ^ "Mme Sarah KNAFO – auditrice de 2nd classe à la Cour des comptes". lesbiographies.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Is [sic] Sarah Knafo And Eric Zemmour Having An Affair? Pregnancy Claim And Drama". 247 News Around the World. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Eric Zemmour, la tentation présidentielle (3/3) : Knafo, la conseillère de l'ombre". lexpress.fr (in French). 9 February 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021..
- ^ Arrêté du 23 décembre 2019 portant affectation aux carrières des élèves de la promotion 2018–2019 " Molière " de l'École nationale d'administration ayant terminé leur scolarité au 31 décembre 2019 (élèves issus des concours externe, interne et troisième concours).
- ^ "Eric Zemmour 2022 : qui sont ceux qui veulent le voir devenir président ?". tf1.fr (in French). 30 April 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021..
- ^ Paul Laubacher (17 February 2021). "Sarah Knafo, l'énarque dans l'ombre d'Eric Zemmour". nouvelobs.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021..
- ^ Lucie Delaporte, Marine Turchi (20 October 2021). "L'équipe de campagne d'Éric Zemmour : le listing secret". mediapart.fr (in French). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Jeune Afrique avec AFP (3 October 2024). "La plainte de l'Algérie contre la députée européenne Sarah Knafo a été classée sans suite". jeuneafrique.com (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ "2024 Lincoln Fellows". The Claremont Institute. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 à Paris : Sarah Knafo officialise sa candidature". parismatch.com (in French). 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
- ^ ""Sarah Knafo est ma compagne", officialise Eric Zemmour". Le Parisien (in French). 13 January 2022.