The Right would be only too happy to knock out a Socialist heavyweight like
Miss Royal, whom Mr Hollande has pledged to give the coveted post of
president of the National Assembly should she win as thanks for her support
in party primaries.
The day began with the French president reiterating his support for his
embattled ex-partner, saying: “Ségolène Royal is the only candidate of
the presidential majority who can be assured of have my support.”
He then dispatched Martine Aubry, the Socialist party leader, to La Rochelle
to throw her weight behind Miss Royal.
But Miss Trierweiler fired off the 140-character missive, saying: “Good
luck to Olivier Falorni who has done nothing worthy of blame, who has fought
alongside the people of La Rochelle for so many years with selfless
commitment.”
Speculation that her account had been hacked gave way to a political firestorm
when she confirmed the tweet.
Miss Royal declined to react, saying only that “all my spirit, all my
energy, all my thoughts are for the voters” of La Rochelle.
Mr Hollande’s Right-wing opponents, facing a whitewash in Sunday’s elections,
said the row was proof his “normal” presidency was already over
and “vaudeville has entered the Elysée”.
“As of this morning, (Hollande’s) ‘normal’ presidency is well and truly
dead. From now on it’s Dallas at the Elysée,” said Geoffrey
Didier, the UMP’s national secretary.
Socialist allies of Miss Royal also rounded on the First Lady, calling the
tweet “indecent”.
“We didn’t elect Valérie Trierweiler, we elected François Hollande. So I
ask, what’s she playing at? I find it purely and simply disgraceful,”
said MP Jean-Louis Bianco.
Mr Hollande gave no official reaction, but one of his advisers told Le Monde: “I’m
completely shocked. I expected government crises, not conjugal ones. It
beggars belief.”
The First Lady’s insecurity about Miss Royal’s role is widely known. She is
said to have had her airbrushed out of Mr Hollande’s campaign launch film
and made sure she was not invited to his inauguration. When Mr Hollande gave
his ex a peck on the cheek at his election night victory rally, she mouthed
to him: “Kiss me on the lips”, which he dutifully did.
Miss Royal and Mr Hollande presented themselves as a couple when Miss Royal
ran for president in 2007. It was later revealed he had left her for Miss
Trierweiler two years earlier, only joining forces for campaign appearances.
Bruno Jeudi, editor of Le Journal du Dimanche, said: “There is enormous
jealousy between the two. They’re like two tigresses.”
“She will have frequent contact with François Hollande, a prospect that
Trierweiler wants to stop at all costs,” he said.
Miss Trierweiler has already courted controversy over her role by keeping her
post as a journalist at Paris Match, saying she does not like the term First
Lady. She recently admitted: “François Hollande has total trust in me,
expect for my tweets.”
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