Francois Hollande's partner admits tweet 'mistake'

PARIS (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande's partner Valerie Trierweiler admitted on Wednesday she had made a mistake in firing off a tweet snubbing Mr Hollande's ex-companion and said she regretted it.

"It was a mistake that I regret. I must have been clumsy because this was badly interpreted," Ms Trierweiler told the Ouest-France newspaper. "I had not yet realised that I was no longer a simple citizen. It won't happen again."

During parliamentary elections in June, Ms Trierweiler sent out a tweet wishing good luck to an opponent of Ms Segolene Royal - Hollande's ex-partner and mother of their four children. The tweet attracted widespread media coverage, with the French press calling it an embarrassment to Mr Hollande.

An opinion poll released on Wednesday showed two-thirds of the French have a negative opinion of Ms Trierweiler and more than 40 per cent believe Mr Hollande's private life is having a bad impact on his image.