A tweet by France's first lady in support of an election rival of President Francois Hollande's ex-partner has triggered a politically damaging media row just days from a decisive round of parliamentary elections. The tweet made public a private rivalry between Hollande's partner Valerie Trierweiler and his former companion, Segolene Royal, and threatened to wreck his promise of a more sober presidency after the soap opera of his predecessor's love life.
In her post on the messaging network, Trierweiler told Olivier Falorni - a candidate for La Rochelle constituency in western France that Royal is contesting - to "Take heart," praising him for his dedication. Adding to the spice, Royal, who lost a 2007 presidential contest to Sarkozy, has the support of her Socialist party and its one-time boss - Hollande.
Hollande is on track to win a majority for his Socialist bloc in Sunday's runoff, after a victory in last week's first round, but he needs to keep all his supporters on board and avoid the internecine divisions which have plagued the Socialists in the past. An Ifop poll published on Wednesday suggested Royal would lose the runoff, taking 42 percent of the vote versus 58 for Folorni, compounding the alarm in Socialist Party ranks.
"The First Gaffe of France," left-leaning newspaper Liberation declared over a full front page photo of Trierweiler. It devoted five pages to the affair while the popular daily Le Parisien published photos of the two women under the headline, "The secret history of a rivalry."
Le Monde daily said in an editorial the affair echoed "the worst hours" of the very public domestic dramas between former President Nicolas Sarkozy and his ex-wife Cecilia. Radio and newspaper commentators said the inappropriate tweet was a sign that Trierweiler's outspokenness and unwillingness to play the part of a traditional first lady was starting to become problematic for Hollande.