France's
new trade minister, Thomas Thevenoud, has resigned after nine days in the job,
after problems with his taxes arose. It appears to be another setback for
President Hollande amid the release of a tell-all book.
Deutsche Welle, 5 Sep 2014
The office
of the French president confirmed on Thursday night that Francois Hollande had
accepted the resignation of trade minister Thomas Thevenoud (pictured), who was
appointed less than a fortnight ago in a government reshuffle.
Hollande's
office cited personal reasons for the move, but it is understood that Thevenoud
resigned because of problems with his taxes.
"He
has not resigned because of any political disagreement," a government
source told the AFP news agency.
The
situation has uncomfortable echoes of the so-called Cahuzac affair of March
2013, when Hollande's budget minister Jerome Cahuzac resigned after being
accused of failing to declare funds kept in a Swiss bank.
It has been
a rocky two weeks in French politics. Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced a new government on August 25 after the cabinet resigned, amid infighting over
France's economy.
On
Thursday, France's former first lady, Valerie Trierweiler, released a book painting an unflattering picture of the already unpopular President Hollande.
The book detailed the pair's January breakup after news broke of Hollande's
affair with actress Julie Gayet.
Confidence
in the Socialist leader has plunged to an all-time low of 13 percent, according
to a new poll taken before the release of the book.
jr/hc (Reuters, AFP)
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