Hollande bids to deflect affair scandal with policy plans

Francois Hollande faced the impossible task of rousing media interest for his 2014 policy plans as his partner remained in hospital following news of his alleged affair with a glamorous actress.
The French president is to hold a high-profile press conference today which was initially expected to culminate with a key announcement on reforms to spur economic growth and create jobs.
But the conference, scheduled for 1530 GMT, is more likely to produce headlines on Hollande's private life, which was thrust into the spotlight last week by media allegations he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.
The leader of the opposition, right-wing UMP party chief Jean-Francois Cope, has already pounced on the scandal as "having deeply undermined the president's authority".

David Assouline, a spokesman for Hollande's Socialist party, stressed yesterday the right of any public official to a private life and defended the reform to be announced in today's keynote news conference.
In front of around 500 journalists, Hollande will float his "responsibility pact", in which he offers companies lower labour taxes in exchange for hiring more workers.

The Socialist leader, 59, had initially been hoping to ride out the storm created by last week's revelation of an affair with Gayet, a blonde actress 18 years his junior.
But those hopes were shattered with the hospitalisation on Friday of Valerie Trierweiler, Hollande's companion of several years and de facto First Lady.

She had been expected to check out on yesterday, but "doctors believe she needs more rest", an aide to Trierweiler said.
Symptoms variously described in the media as low blood pressure, exhaustion and a "severe case of the blues" developed within hours of glossy French magazine Closer publishing details of Hollande's alleged secret trysts with Gayet in a borrowed apartment close to his residence.
Since then Hollande has faced mounting pressure, including from his own camp, to clarify the position of Trierweiler, who lives with him at the Elysee Palace.
"He has to clarify the situation," said Thierry Mandon, the spokesman for the Socialist Party's parliamentary group.

"He has to do it once, firmly and decisively, and then we don't talk about it any more.