Opinion Political amour

Woman lover President: In contrast,France’s longest serving,1981-95,President Francois Mitterand’s reputation was coureur de femme (running behind woman),he loved women. They say his extramarital affairs were many. He met Anne Pingeot in a French village 1974 while preparing for his presidential campaign; they parented a daughter,Mazarine. As President,he secretly provided his mistress and Mazarine with security at the taxpayer’s expense. The French public was unaware as Mitterand prevented such information from leaking out by ordering illegal wiretapping of journalists among others as part of his campaign against terrorism.

Mitterand had incredible political shrewdness. He had joined Marshall Philippe Petain’s pro-Hitler-Germany government at Vichy 1940-44,then about-turned in 1943 to join the French Resistance. After World War II,Mitterand became a Socialist,but such was his political acumen that Conservative Charles de Gaulle appointed him minister. At the end of Mitterand’s two-term Presidential tenure (1981-1995),he revealed Mazarine’s existence. French society appreciated that he’d recognised her. Even in death 1996,Mitterand made gossip headlines when his wife,Danielle Mitterand went against Catholic practice,and invited Anne and Mazarine Pingeot to his funeral,seating them with the legitimate family.

Amorous bling-bling President: Nicolas Sarkozy and his second wife Cecilia divorced soon after he became President 2007. “I don’t see myself as First Lady,” Cecilia had said. “It bores me.” Sarkozy didn’t waste time feeling dejected. At a party,he met Carla Bruni,Italian supermodel,singer and heiress,who’d walked off a live-in relationship with philosophy professor Raphael Enthoven. Carla and Nicolas became paparazzi fodder worldwide in a whirlwind 80-day romance. Sarkozy now welcomes celebrity and multi-billionaire visitors,wears expensive suits,stylish sunglasses,conspicuously large wristwatches,which prompted newspaper Libération to baptise him ‘the Bling-Bling President.”

Christie’s International chose April 2008,when she accompanied Sarkozy as official First Lady to New York,to auction a black-and-white nude Carla Bruni photograph taken 1993. It fetched $91,000,almost 20 times its estimate. Two years later into their marriage,rumours started on Twitter about it being shaky. According to British tabloid The Sun,she’s remarked she’s “easily bored by monogamy.” Gossip romantically links Bruni with musician Benjamin Biolay,and Sarkozy with ecology minister Chantal Jouanno.

Broken love Presidential candidate: Sarkozy’s 2007 Presidential election opponent,darling of public polls Segolene Royal,lost,many say,largely because of broken love and scant support from male chauvinistic Socialist party members. The Party’s General Secretary,her domestic partner of 30 years,was Francois Hollande. She’d thrown Hollande out in 2006 when he started an affair with Paris Match celebrity magazine journalist,Valérie Trierweiler,but hid their broken relationship until after her defeat. Officially declaring Valerie “woman of my life” in 2010,Hollande slimmed 10 kg to become the 2012 Presidential candidate. Much to her chagrin,Valerie’s own magazine splashed her on the cover page as Hollande’s “trump charm.”

Loss of Presidential candidature in seven-minute sex scandal: Actually the Socialist Party’s hot candidate to defeat Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential race was Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK),former IMF President. But seven minutes in New York’s Sofitel Hotel changed his stars. According to hotel electronic key records,chambermaid Nafissatou Diallo entered DSK’s suite about 12.06 pm. His BlackBerry phone recorded 12.13 pm when he spoke to his daughter Camille. For what happened in those seven intervening minutes he has seven criminal sexual act charges slapped against him at New York Supreme Court. Brilliant French journalist and heiress Anne Sinclair who’d experienced coup de foudre (sudden fiery love) 1989 with DSK,they married in 1991,rushed to New York to extricate her husband from imprisonment.

Presidential candidate with out-of-wedlock children and new girlfriend: Catholic society would generally frown on an unmarried person with four children and a new girlfriend stepping into Elysee Palace,but polls are indicating Francois Hollande as the next President with 57 per cent runoff. Rising above the Socialist Party back stab she received during her 2007 election campaign,Segolene Royal surprised everyone by campaigning for Francois Hollande in Rennes on March 25,2012. France was waiting to see them kiss on stage but they merely shook hands,maintaining the high standards of Ecole National d’Administration they both studied in.

Protocol issues prevented unmarried Carla Bruni from accompanying her newest love Sarkozy to India in 2008. As French First Lady in 2010,visiting Taj Mahal was for her “like a dream.” Let’s watch France’s first election round today. If Hollande wins the runoff on May 6,will he bring his amour (love) to India’s monument of love? With Presidential elections revealing underwear and political armour,France lives up to her coinage of liberty,equality and fraternity.

Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at http://www.shiningconsulting.com