Paris: French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has broken diplomatic protocol by openly expressing his hope that Barack Obama wins the upcoming US presidential election.
"If I was an American citizen I wouldn't hesitate to vote for Obama," he told a radio interviewer on Wednesday.
While it is hardly surprising that Mr Ayrault, a Socialist, would support the Democrat candidate in a US election, prudence normally restricts politicians from making such remarks given the possibility they will end up having to deal with their Republican rivals.
Mr Ayrault is not however the first French minister to offer public support for Mr Obama in his neck-and-neck battle with Republican Mitt Romney.
On Tuesday, Bernard Cazeneuve, the European affairs minister, said: "As far as I'm concerned, I totally support it (Obama's re-election) and I would be astonished if the government had any other wish."
President Francois Hollande was less explicit when he was asked who he would support during a visit to New York at the end of last month, restricting himself to a rhetorical: "Who would you think?"
"If I was an American citizen I wouldn't hesitate to vote for Obama," he told a radio interviewer on Wednesday.
While it is hardly surprising that Mr Ayrault, a Socialist, would support the Democrat candidate in a US election, prudence normally restricts politicians from making such remarks given the possibility they will end up having to deal with their Republican rivals.
On Tuesday, Bernard Cazeneuve, the European affairs minister, said: "As far as I'm concerned, I totally support it (Obama's re-election) and I would be astonished if the government had any other wish."
Advertisement
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"We Were Renters": Kamala Harris Shares Story Behind Childhood Photo Donald Trump Calls Out Kamala Harris For Climate Misinformation Donald Trump Says He Is "Much Better Looking" Than Rival Kamala Harris Champai Soren On His Way To Delhi Amid Big Defection Buzz: Sources Indian-Origin Family, On Way To Daughter's College, Killed In US Car Crash Woman Doctor Assaulted By Drunk Patient, His Relatives At Mumbai Hospital Punjab Girl Gang-Raped In Public Bus In Dehradun, Roadways Staff Detained After Backlash Over Freshers' Pay, Cognizant Clarifies What Techies Get MCC NEET UG Counselling 2024: Round 1 Final Seat Matrix, NRI List Out Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.