Francois Hollande’s partner, Valerie Trierweiler, has sparked a political storm and embarrassed the Socialist party by tweeting her support for a dissident candidate standing against Hollande’s ex-partner, Segolene Royal, in the parliamentary elections.
The saga threatens to damage Hollande, who has been careful to style himself as a down-to-earth “president normal” but now faces charges from the right that animosity between his present and past girlfriends has turned his leadership of France into a celebrity soap opera worthy of the worst excesses of Nicolas Sarkozy’s highly public love life.
Hollande was quoted saying Royal was “the only candidate” with presidential support in Royal’s latest campaign leaflet.
But just before noon, Trierweiler, or @valtrier — who was once dubbed “Tweetweiler” — tweeted: “Good luck to Olivier Falorni (the dissident candidate) who has proved himself worthy, who has fought alongside the people of La Rochelle for so many years with selfless commitment.”