France aghast at tweet by French leader's partner

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French President Francois Hollande's girlfriend has set the French political establishment aghast with a tweet of support for the man running against the mother of Hollande's children.

The tweet on Tuesday signed by Valerie Trierweiler went viral on the Internet and dominated news shows.

Trierweiler's message of support to Olivier Falorni, a politician in western France, was seen as a dig at Segolene Royal, the mother of Hollande's four children. Royal, a former Socialist presidential candidate herself, is running against Falorni in Sunday's final round of parliamentary elections.

The tweet starts, "Have courage, Olivier Falorni."

Trierweiler, a journalist, has made no secret of her determination to retain her independence even though her partner is the president.