Rachida Dati

Rachida Dati (French pronunciation: [ʁaʃida dati]; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician and former magistrate who has been Minister of Culture since January 2024 in the government of Gabriel Attal and government of Michel Barnier.

Dati previously was Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. A member of The Republicans (LR), she also was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2019, representing Île-de-France. Dati was a spokesperson for Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign. Following his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to the Government.

She was elected to the mayorship of the 7th arrondissement of Paris in 2008, when she also entered the Council of Paris. In the 2020 Paris municipal election, she unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Paris against incumbent Anne Hidalgo. Following the election, she was installed as opposition leader in the Council of Paris.