Valérie Trierweiler: Twitter fiasco
Socialist Party newly elected president Francois Hollande’s companion Valerie Trierweiler, and Segolene Royal, candidate for the Socialist Party’s 2011 primary vote for France’s 2012 presidential election. France’s new first lady took a very public swipe at the president’s former partner, Segolene Royal, with a good luck tweet sent on June 12, 2012 to the politician standing against her in parliamentary polls. Valerie Trierweiler’s message on Twitter also put her at odds with President Francois Hollande, who has declared his full support for Socialist Royal’s electoral bid.
France's new first lady, Valérie Trierweiler, set France's Twitter network alight on Tuesday when she voiced her support for a Socialist party dissident running against Ségolène Royal, President François Hollande's ex, reported Reuters.
Creating a strange political love triangle, Trierweiler supported Olivier Falorni instead of Hollande's favored candidate and the Socialist party's official candidate, Royal.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Trierweiler said, "Courage to Olivier Falorni, who has not been unworthy, who fights unselfishly alongside the people of La Rochelle for so many years," according to The New York Times.
The Guardian wrote that Trierweiler "sparked a political storm and embarrassed the Socialist party" with her tweet, and the incident may damage Hollande who faces criticism 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."
More on GlobalPost: Is Germany catching the euro zone virus?
Trierweiler has been Hollange's partner since 2006, while Royal was Hollande's partner for over 30 years and is the mother of his four children, according to Bloomberg.
Trierweiler's Twitter has nearly 72,000 followers and the now notorious tweet resulted in hashtags such as #trierweilergate and #vaudeville, said Bloomberg.
Eric Ciotti, from former President Nicolas Sarkozy's party, said, "Vaudeville has come to the Élysée," while a Green politician, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, said, "I find it indecent that she takes a position in this business," according to The Times.
More on GlobalPost: Spain bond yields hit euro-era high after Fitch downgrades 18 banks
The Times said officials at the Élysée Palace confirmed that Hollande's support was behind Royal, but they refused to comment on the controversial tweet.
Falorni said, "It’s a message of personal support and friendship that I appreciate, especially within this context of political attacks and personal threats," according to Time.
Trierweiler's tweet comes just days before the ballot on June 17 for the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, according to Reuters.
The Guardian noted that Royal is facing a difficult fight for the parliamentary seat in La Rochelle, with Falorni refusing to stand aside.
More on GlobalPost: When the BRICs crumble