Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy says he has decided to run for the presidency again.

Story highlights

Conservative politician Nicolas Sarkozy was France's leader from 2007 to 2012

"I felt I had the strength to lead this battle during this troubled time of our history," he wrote

CNN  — 

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced he will run again to lead the country in next year’s presidential elections.

The 61-year-old broke the news on his official Twitter account Monday, as he tweeted an excerpt from his forthcoming book, “Tout pour la France” ( All for France).

“I decided to run for the 2017 presidential election. France demands that we give her everything. I felt I had the strength to lead this battle during this troubled time of our history,” the excerpt reads.

France has been under a state of emergency since the Paris terror attacks in November, when an ISIS cell killed 130 in the French capital. Last month, another ISIS attacker drove his lorry through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing more than 80.

Sarkozy, leader of the center-right Republicans party, was president from 2007 to 2012, when he was defeated by France’s current president Francois Hollande, of the center-left Socialist Party.