France Bids Adieu To First Lady
- October 21st, 2007
- Posted by Sian Graham
After weeks of speculation in the press on Thursday (18.10.07) French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia Sarkozy publicly announced that after 11 years of marriage they were getting divorced.
DIVORCE MAKES HISTORY
Not since Napoleon Bonaparte left Empress Josephine in 1810 has the leader of France divorced while in office.
Much like Napoleon and Josephine who separated only because she was unable to produce an heir, it is believed the Sarkozys too have separated on amicable terms.
Publicly at least Cecilia Sarkozy remains supportive of her former husband?s political aspirations.
“For him, it’s like a violinist who has been given a Stradivarius; suddenly, he has the chance to practice his art,” she told L’Est Republicain newspaper.
“I think that France deserves him and he deserves France.”
AFFAIRS, RECONCILIATION AND DIVORCE
This is not the first time Cecilia has walked out on her marriage to Nicolas, having left Mr Sarkozy in 2005 to pursue an affair.
In her interview with L’Est Republicain (18.10.07) Cecilia spoke candidly about the affair.
“I met someone, I fell in love, I left” the marriage, she said.
Rumours abound she only returned to the marriage to help Mr Sarkozy prepare for his presidential election bid earlier this year but Cecilia said her decision was based solely on a desire to repair the breakdown and work it our for their young son.
Both Mr Sarkozy and Cecilia had married before and had two children each to their previous marriages.
She told L’Est Republicain, “We tried everything, I tried everything, but it just wasn’t possible anymore … Public life doesn’t suit me,” she said.
President Sarkozy and the Elysee Palace are not commenting on the divorce.
PUBLIC LARGELY UNMOVED BY DIVORCE ANNOUNCEMENT
It seems the French public do not believe the President’s divorce will have any negative effects on his ambitions to “modernise” France.
A poll, released the same day the divorce was made public indicated that four out of five French citizens consider the event unimportant.
According to the survey of over 800 people conducted by polling firm CSA, 92 per cent, said the news had no bearing on their opinion of their president.
CanWest analyst Mariette Sineau said she was not surprised by the cool French reaction to the news.
“Divorce in France is very common, especially in the world of politics,” she said.
AMERICA TO THE RESCUE
Proving the once frosty relationship between France and the Bush administration in America is definitely warming, President Bush has extended the hand of friendship to President Sarkozy in his time of need.
Mr Bush and wife Laura have invited Mr Sarkozy for dinner at the White House on 6.11.07.
Reference:
CanWest, French indifferent to Sarkozy divorce,
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=4adfca02-27d7-4d4d-808b-6a963ec5ec09&k=94451 9.10.07
Financial Times, A week when the magic disappeared from Sarkozy,
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bcd3288a-7e88-11dc-8fac-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 20.10.07
AFP, Bush to welcome Sarkozy November 6-7,
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5im1L5WMccwrMa5rWaw0faapZtwvQ 19.10.07
Picture:
Europehorizon,
http://europehorizon.blogspirit.com/loisirs/ (21.10.07)