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French Presidential candidate François Hollande keeps voters guessing over marriage

If frontrunning Socialist challenger François Hollande is elected in upcoming elections is France, he could become the first unmarried French president in recent memory.

Reuters/Charles Platiau
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Hollande has four children with his longtime former partner, Ségolène Royal, herself a (defeated) Socialist presidential candidate in 2007.

The couple were never married though and officially split up in 2007, by which time Hollande was already in a relationship with former political journalist Valerie Trierweiler, his current companion.

In a recent question and answer session with readers of Sud Ouest newspaper, he was asked whether he intended to get married to Trierweiler if he was elected president, even if just for reasons of protocol.

His reply was enigmatic. “You do not get married just for reasons of protocol, you get married out of choice”.

“I stand alone as a candidate before the French people. Alone. It is not a couple standing but a personality who must convince with his ideas, his method. Afterwards, I offer my service”, he said.

He also declared « I will do nothing which is against my principles ».

In response to a question put by the readers of Femme Actuelle, a few days later, however, Hollande appeared to hint that marriage could be in the offing.

“It is a question we have asked ourselves and we will have to make a decision on it. But I will not make any announcement during the presidential campaign.”

Valerie Trierweiler has been married twice and has three children by her second husband.

 

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