French president’s ‘Mr. Normal’ image hit by tweet
推文打擊法國總統的「平凡先生」形象

A feud involving the French president’s live-in girlfriend, his former partner and his eldest son may have tarnished the new leader’s carefully cultivated image as “Mr. Normal.”

Francois Hollande agreed to take a question about the family feud that has riveted the media during a television interview on tradition-steeped Bastille Day. The reporters asked for his reaction to “tweetgate’’ as the feud is known.

It began with a tweet sent out by his companion Valerie Trierweiler during last month’s legislative elections. The tweet expressed support for the political opponent of his ex-partner Segolene Royal, the mother of the president’s four children, who was defeated in her bid for a parliamentary seat.

The tweet has set the French political establishment aflame, and turned the president’s image on its head. Widely criticized as a vindictive move, the tweet went viral and dominated news shows.

“He campaigned for a clean break with Sarkozy, but it was a big mistake for Valerie, as it put his private life into public view,” political communications expert Arnaud Mercier said in a telephone interview.

(AP)

一場捲入法國總統的同居女友、他的前伴侶和他長子的爭執，或許已經讓這位新領導人小心翼翼塑造出來的「平凡先生」形象蒙上污點。

弗朗索瓦．歐蘭德在有悠久傳統的巴士底日國慶日當天電視訪問中，同意接受關於這場吸引媒體注意的家庭紛爭的提問。記者詢問他對於這場被稱為「推特門」爭議的反應。

此事始於上個月國會選戰期間，他的伴侶維萊莉．崔威勒發出一封推文，支持歐蘭德前女友瑟格琳．賀雅爾的政治對手。身為總統四個小孩母親的賀雅爾，在這次選舉爭取國會席次失敗。

這篇推文已在法國政壇點燃一把火，完全改變了這名總統的形象。這篇廣受批評是報復之舉的推文被廣泛流傳，並且佔據新聞版面。

「他的選戰訴求是要和薩科茲做切割，但維萊莉犯了一大錯誤，因為此事將他的私生活公開」，政治溝通專家亞諾．梅歇說。

(美聯社/翻譯：管淑平）