*http://www.gulfnews.com/world/France/10133432.html
**Socialist power couple announce split Reuters** ** Paris: *Defeated French presidential candidate Segolene Royal said yesterday her partner, Socialist party leader Francois Hollande, had moved out of their home after weeks of speculation over the couple's love life. The liaison between the two Socialists, who have four children but never married, has dominated headlines since Royal overtook her more experienced partner last year to become the party's presidential challenger. "We no longer live in the same home," Royal told France Inter radio, after the split-up was reported in a new book. "I have asked Francois Hollande to leave our home, to live his love life in his own way, which has been laid open in books and magazines, and I've told him that I want him to be happy," Royal was quoted as saying in the book Segolene Royal - Les coulisses d'une defaite (Behind the scenes of a defeat). News of the split overshadowed the results of Sunday's parliamentary election, which the Socialists lost to the conservative allies of President Nicolas Sarkozy. "The break-up," Le Parisien daily said in a banner headline, mentioning the election results only in a small sub-heading. Commentators wondered what impact the power couple's separation would have on the party's leadership battle. Royal has made clear she wants the top party job, but Hollande has said he will not leave his post until the autumn of 2008. Hollande said yesterday there was "no political cause" and "no political consequence" from the break-up. "I don't think I'll do anything against him," Royal told French radio. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
