A member of all right-wing governments formed in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense (2002–2007), the Interior (2007–2009) and Foreign Affairs (2010–2011);[1] she has also been in charge of Youth and Sports (1993–1995) and Justice (2009–2010), and was granted the honorary rank of Minister of State in her last two offices.

She resigned from government in 2011 due to her position during the Tunisian Revolution; one year later, in the 2012 French legislative elections, she lost her seat as Deputy (MP) for the 6th Constituency of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

She has remained a leading Gaullist after the RPR merged into the UMP and was seen as a rival to Nicolas Sarkozy before and after his election as president in 2007, although direct confrontation was always avoided.

Her father is Bernard Marie (1918–2015), who was a famous international rugby referee,[3] the French National Assembly Deputy for the Pyrénées-Atlantiques' 4th constituency (1967–1981, department named Basses-Pyrénées until 1969),[4][5][6][7] and the Mayor of Biarritz (1977–1991);[8] and her mother is Renée Leyko and is of Polish descent.

[12] During her university studies, Alliot-Marie (then still known as Michèle Marie) began having a relationship with her then-law professor Michel Alliot [fr], who was also chief of staff to then-Education Minister (1968-1969) Edgar Faure.

She then became an adviser to then-Minister of Departments and Overseas Territories Bernard Stasi from 1973 to 1974, and then to then-Secretary of State for Tourism Gérard Ducray [fr] in 1974.

She then became the Chief of Staff to then-Secretary of State and Minister of Universities Alice Saunier-Seité from 1976 to 1978 before working in the private sector as an administrator of CEO of the company Uta-Indemnité between 1979 and 1985.

Alliot-Marie started her electoral career in 1983 as Municipal Councillor for the Basque-area village of Ciboure (in the former province of Labourd and now in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department), located south of her father's political base of Biarritz, near Saint-Jean-de-Luz; she stayed on until 1988.

In 1990, as part of the municipal majority behind the first Deputy Mayor Didier Borotra of the UDF-CDS, she passed draft legislation in opposition to build a hotel-casino on the front of the main beach of the town,[8] which caused a collapse of the council.

[16] In 1999, "MAM" entered the challenge for the presidency of the RPR against Chirac's candidate and, to most insiders' surprise, won by a landslide, becoming the first woman to lead a major French political party.

[1] After Sarkozy's election as president, Alliot-Marie was appointed Minister of the Interior, the Overseas and Local Communities in François Fillon's government, being the first woman to hold the position.

She further caused controversy when she told the National Assembly that French riot police could be offered to help restore order;[23] she was specifically criticised for allegedly sending teargas to Tunisia as late as January 2011.

[30] In 2016, French investigating judge Sabine Kheris requested that a case involving Dominique de Villepin, Michel Barnier and Michèle Alliot-Marie be referred to the Court of Justice of the Republic.