英語文章：瓦萊麗向法國總統(tǒng)索要分手費

FRANCOIS Hollande had hoped to draw a line under the scandal plunging his presidency into farce when he phoned the French state news agency to announce his separation from Valerie Trierweiler.
But his domestic woes look set to continue amid claims he will have to pay her compensation for the humiliation and loss of earnings she suffered because of him.
As France's erstwhile first lady flew to India yesterday on a humanitarian assignment, friends said she was expecting to thrash out a financial settlement with the head of state upon her return.
"These women will have cost me dear," Mr Hollande told advisers over the weekend. The President left his five-bedroom flat in a chic suburb of Paris to Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children, when he dumped her for Ms Trierweiler in 2007.
Sources in his office say he has no intention of installing Julie Gayet, 41, the actress and film producer who is his latest mistress, in the Elysee Palace for now.
The publication of photographs showing Mr Hollande, 59, arriving on a scooter for a nocturnal encounter with Ms Gayet plunged him into private and political turmoil a fortnight ago.
He sought to restore dignity to the presidency when he telephoned Agence France-Presse, the national press agency, over the weekend to read an 18-word statement saying he had terminated his relationship with Ms Trierweiler.
It came after Ms Trierweiler, 48, refused to sign a joint statement with Mr Hollande, switching off her mobile on Friday and leaving his messages unanswered. Her spokesman, the only one of her five government staff still working for her, said she was now on "good terms" with Mr Hollande and in better health after the announcement of their break-up.
Ms Trierweiler spent a week in hospital and a further seven days recuperating at the presidential residence in Versailles after taking an overdose of sleeping pills upon discovering his affair with Ms Gayet. Her trip to Mumbai for Action Contre La Faim, which had been planned months ago, is likely to be her swansong as first lady. When she returns to Paris, she will find her page on the presidency's website has been removed.
Mr Hollande apparently has agreed to continue paying the rent for the flat in Rue Cauchy in the 15th arrondissement of Paris while she looks for somewhere else.
Friends of Ms Trierweiler, who has three sons from her second marriage, said she was expecting more than just short-term help with her accommodation. They say she wants compensation for having abandoned her post as presenter of a TV chat show, when Mr Hollande was elected in 2012.
Although she still works as a book reviewer for Paris Match - a post she will continue to fill, the magazine's editor says - she is understood to earn much less than Mr Hollande, who is paid Euro178,920 ($280,896) a year as president. The left-wing leader declared assets worth Euro1.17 million during the presidential campaign.
Bernard Fau, a divorce lawyer, said Ms Trierweiler could claim damages from the President not only for losing her quasi-official post as first lady but also for the way in which he cheated on her and then ditched her when his affair became known.
"She had an office, her activities were related on the presidency's internet site and she took part in state visits," Mr Fau said.
"She has suffered a loss with the end of this situation. Her image has been affected. She has suffered a worldwide public affront. The wrong is undeniable."
French courts rarely award more than a few thousand euros as compensation for hurt feelings in separation cases, but Ms Trierweiler may demand more given the pressure that friends say she has been under.
弗朗索瓦·奧朗德本希望通過法國國家通訊社電話宣布他和瓦萊麗分手的消息可以讓自己免受丑聞的困擾，這一丑聞幾乎快把他的總統(tǒng)生涯變成了鬧劇。
但他的家務事似乎還要讓他煩上一陣子，因為據(jù)稱他將不得不向瓦萊麗支付賠償金，來彌補她受到的羞辱和因此帶來的收入上的損失。
這位法國的前第一夫人昨日飛往印度進行人道主義訪問，她的朋友透露她一回來就要向法國總統(tǒng)索要分手費。
奧朗德周末告訴顧問們說：“這些女人會讓我付出巨大代價。”奧朗德在拋棄他四個孩子的母親、轉(zhuǎn)而和瓦萊麗交往時，離開了他在巴黎郊區(qū)的五室豪宅。
據(jù)他辦公室的消息來源稱，他目前無意讓他的新情婦、41歲的女演員兼電影制片人朱莉·加耶搬進愛麗舍宮。
刊登的照片顯示，兩周前59歲的奧朗德騎摩托車帶著加耶去過夜，這組照片讓他陷入了私人和政治的輿論漩渦。
當他上周末打電話給法新社，發(fā)布18個詞的分手宣言時，他希望能讓自己的總統(tǒng)形象重新變得有尊嚴。
此前48歲的瓦萊麗拒絕和奧朗德一起簽署聯(lián)合分手宣言，而且周五還關了手機，不回短信。她的發(fā)言人(也是唯一還為她工作的五個政府職員之一)說她現(xiàn)在和奧朗德還保持“良好關系”，而且在奧朗德宣布分手后身體健康也有所好轉(zhuǎn)。
在得知奧朗德和加耶的地下戀情之后，瓦萊麗吃了過量的安眠藥片，在醫(yī)院住了一星期，之后又在凡爾賽的總統(tǒng)府邸休養(yǎng)了七天。她在幾個月前就安排好的去印度孟買的反饑餓行動計劃，也很可能是她作為第一夫人的最后一次亮相。當她回巴黎時，她將發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在總統(tǒng)網(wǎng)站上的頁面已經(jīng)被移除了。
奧蘭德顯然已經(jīng)同意繼續(xù)支付瓦萊麗在巴黎15區(qū)柯西街的公寓的租金，直到她找到新的住所。
瓦萊麗的朋友們說，和前夫生下三個兒子的瓦萊麗要的不只是住所的短期資金援助。朋友們透露瓦萊麗想索要她在2012年奧朗德當選后她為奧朗德放棄的電視訪談節(jié)目主持人職位的賠償。
盡管她仍然為雜志《巴黎競賽》做書評撰稿人，而且也還會繼續(xù)做下去，但是她掙的比奧朗德少得多，奧朗德的總統(tǒng)薪水每年有17.89萬歐元(28萬美元)。這位左翼領導人在總統(tǒng)競選期間宣報的資產(chǎn)為117萬歐元。
離婚律師伯納德·法奧說，瓦萊麗不僅可以為她因做“第一夫人”而失去的準官方職位索要賠償，還可以因為奧朗德背叛和拋棄她索賠。
法奧說：“她有一個辦公室，她的行動出現(xiàn)在總統(tǒng)的網(wǎng)站上，而且她參與了國事訪問。”
“事態(tài)發(fā)展到最后，她受到了損失。她的形象因此遭受影響。她在全世界民眾前丟臉。這種不公正是不可否認的。”
法國法院很少因為分手案中感情受到傷害而判處支付超過幾千歐元的賠償金，不過據(jù)瓦萊麗的朋友講，基于瓦萊麗所承受的壓力，她將索要更多。