France aghast at tweet by French leader's partner - by Elaine Ganley

Valerie Trierweiler

President Francois Hollande's girlfriend set the French political establishment aghast Tuesday with a tweet seen as a dig against the mother of his four children.

The tweet of support to Olivier Falorni, a politician in western France, was signed by Valerie Trierweiler and went viral on the Internet and dominated news shows.

It was seen as a dig at Segolene Royal, whom Hollande had four children with but never married. Royal, also a former Socialist presidential candidate, is running against Falorni in the Charente-Maritime region in Sunday's parliamentary elections final round.

The tweet starts: "Have courage, Olivier Falorni." But it is easily interpreted as a not-so-veiled dig at Royal.  The Socialist Party recently banished Falorni for failing to step aside in favor of Royal, so he is running as a dissident candidate. After last Sunday's first-round vote, Royal holds a narrow lead over Falorni.

Trierweiler, a journalist and avid tweeter, has made no secret of her determination to retain her independence, or of her discomfort with the image and chores of a first lady.

Her employer, Paris-Match, barred her from working as a political reporter after the May 6 election of Hollande, although it has allowed her to stay on as a book reviewer. Her first review, published last week, was of a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of ex-U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and began: "Look at that! A journalist first lady isn't a novelty."

Read more: France aghast at tweet by French leader's partner - BusinessWeek