(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in France say culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand should not tender his resignation following a sex scandal, according to a poll by BVA released by Canal+. 67 per cent of respondents share the view that Mitterrand should stay in his post.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in France say culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand should not tender his resignation following a sex scandal, according to a poll by BVA released by Canal+. 67 per cent of respondents share the view that Mitterrand should stay in his post.
In 2005, Mitterrand—the nephew of former French president François Mitterrand—wrote in a book that he had paid for sex with "boys" in Thailand. The forgotten passage in his autobiography resurfaced recently when the culture minister publicly defended film director Roman Polanski. The film director—who pleaded guilty in a United States court to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1978—was detained last month in Switzerland on an outstanding warrant.
Mitterrand was asked to clarify his use of the word "boys" in order to establish whether his actions amounted to a crime. He has denied this saying that he did pay for sex but with adult men, and has expressed his rejection of both paedophilia and sex tourism.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has resisted calls to request Mitterrand’s resignation. On Oct. 8, Henri Guaino, an adviser to Sarkozy, commented on the matter, saying, "I don’t see why he can’t stay in the government, and I don’t see why we dredge up such a pathetic polemic after such a long time. (…) Is he on trial, has he committed a crime?"
Polling Data
Do you, personally, believe Frédéric Mitterrand should resign?
|
Yes |
20% |
|
No |
67% |
|
Not sure |
13% |
Source: BVA / Canal+
Methodology: Interviews to 1,005 French people, aged 15 and up, conducted on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
