Will the president wed his first lady?
Source: Agencies |
May 8, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TAKING over from a supermodel should not be a problem for Valerie Trierweiler, who has plenty of glamour of her own, but making state visits abroad as France's first unmarried first lady just might.
There is some speculation as to whether Trierweiler, whose partner Francois Hollande was elected Socialist president on Sunday, will marry her man before he gets the keys to the Elysee Palace on May 15.
If she does not, certain host countries may face some embarrassment as to the proper protocol to receive an unmarried head of state turning up with an unwed woman on his arm.
Trierweiler, a twice-divorced 47-year-old journalist and mother of three teenagers who says she plans to continue her media career and combine it with her first lady role, recently dismissed the issue.
"I'm not sure it will come up all that much. Maybe on a visit to the pope? Frankly, it really is not an aspect that bothers me. This question of marriage is above all a part of our private life," she said.
Apart from the Vatican, conservative countries that might view her unmarried status as a diplomatic dilemma include the Arab Gulf states, where Islamic traditions apply, and in some conservative societies.
When Nicolas Sarkozy, the right-winger who lost Sunday's vote, made his first trip to the Gulf as president in January 2008, he had to travel without ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, whom he was dating but had not yet married.
Islam forbids cohabitation outside marriage and arch-conservative Muslim kingdoms such as Saudi Arabia might look unfavorably on a foreign leader turning up with his partner.
India is another country where Sarkozy - who married Bruni in February 2008 just a few months after divorcing his second wife - caused diplomatic uncertainty.
Indian and French officials engaged in deep talks over how Bruni would be treated during her husband's state visit, which came before their marriage and was to include a trip to the Taj Mahal, known as "the monument to love."
The press in India - where marriage and a family are seen as the most important goals in life - was abuzz over whether the couple would share a hotel suite and where Bruni would sit at a formal banquet.
In the end, Bruni did not join Sarkozy in India, but the couple did return after their wedding to visit the Taj Mahal.
"Typically we only give protocol facilities to a spouse," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said yesterday. "But I don't know the details of this case and we can't really answer this question."
A French foreign ministry official said most countries to which a French president travels are happy to accommodate his wishes and that in the 21st century being unmarried did not pose a major problem.
There is some speculation as to whether Trierweiler, whose partner Francois Hollande was elected Socialist president on Sunday, will marry her man before he gets the keys to the Elysee Palace on May 15.
If she does not, certain host countries may face some embarrassment as to the proper protocol to receive an unmarried head of state turning up with an unwed woman on his arm.
Trierweiler, a twice-divorced 47-year-old journalist and mother of three teenagers who says she plans to continue her media career and combine it with her first lady role, recently dismissed the issue.
"I'm not sure it will come up all that much. Maybe on a visit to the pope? Frankly, it really is not an aspect that bothers me. This question of marriage is above all a part of our private life," she said.
Apart from the Vatican, conservative countries that might view her unmarried status as a diplomatic dilemma include the Arab Gulf states, where Islamic traditions apply, and in some conservative societies.
When Nicolas Sarkozy, the right-winger who lost Sunday's vote, made his first trip to the Gulf as president in January 2008, he had to travel without ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, whom he was dating but had not yet married.
Islam forbids cohabitation outside marriage and arch-conservative Muslim kingdoms such as Saudi Arabia might look unfavorably on a foreign leader turning up with his partner.
India is another country where Sarkozy - who married Bruni in February 2008 just a few months after divorcing his second wife - caused diplomatic uncertainty.
Indian and French officials engaged in deep talks over how Bruni would be treated during her husband's state visit, which came before their marriage and was to include a trip to the Taj Mahal, known as "the monument to love."
The press in India - where marriage and a family are seen as the most important goals in life - was abuzz over whether the couple would share a hotel suite and where Bruni would sit at a formal banquet.
In the end, Bruni did not join Sarkozy in India, but the couple did return after their wedding to visit the Taj Mahal.
"Typically we only give protocol facilities to a spouse," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said yesterday. "But I don't know the details of this case and we can't really answer this question."
A French foreign ministry official said most countries to which a French president travels are happy to accommodate his wishes and that in the 21st century being unmarried did not pose a major problem.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
