CLERMONT-FERRAND, France: A senior adviser to French President Francois Hollande quit yesterday over accusations of past conflict of interest linked to his work for pharmaceutical firms, adding to pressure on the unpopular Socialist leader weeks before European elections.
Aquilino Morelle, Hollande’s chief communications adviser, speechwriter and a main political strategist, has denied investigative website Mediapart’s report that he had failed to obtain clearance for lobbying work when he was an employee of the public health inspectorate. The furore deals another blow to Hollande after heavy losses for his party in town hall elections at the end of March.
“. Aquilino Morelle has offered his resignation to the president of the republic,” an official from Hollande’s office said. With a jobless rate above 10 percent, Hollande’s approval score is the lowest of any French leader in the last 50 years and polls suggest his Socialists could lose badly to opposition conservatives and the far-right National Front in May’s European Parliament poll. Reuters
