Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Strauss-Kahn Accuser Sues New York Post

Strauss-Kahn's possible return to politics splits French Socialists

Party hit by infighting and contest for a presidential candidate overshadowed by whether former IMF chief is likely to join race
    Dominique Strauss-Kahn
    Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the Socialist favourite win the 2012 presidential election before he was arrested in New York over the alleged attempted rape of a hotel maid Photograph: Lucas Jackson/REUTERS
    The possible return of Dominique Strauss-Kahn to the French presidential race has plunged the Socialist party into a fresh round of infighting, overshadowing its internal contest for a candidate. Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the IMF, was the Socialist favourite to beat Nicolas Sarkozy and win the 2012 presidential election before he was arrested in New York over the alleged attempted rape of a hotel maid. His political allies hope that charges against him will be dropped this week after doubts were raised over the hotel worker's credibility. But rifts are emerging between those who want him to return to Socialist politics and party leadership figures who claim he is unlikely to run for president. The Socialists have been thrown into disarray by a lawsuit from the French journalist Tristane Banon who alleges Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her during an interview in 2003. Banon and her mother, a Socialist councillor, claim François Hollande, the then Socialist party leader, knew full details of the alleged attack. Hollande styles himself as the squeaky clean "ordinary guy" of French politics and is currently the frontrunner in the internal Socialist race for a presidential candidate. But his campaign has been overshadowed by questions about the Banon case, what he knew and whether he should have acted. He denied any in-depth knowledge of the allegations, saying: "I absolutely want to put an end to all these controversies, rumours and hawking."More...

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