New blow for Royal as top adviser quits

Ségolène Royal suffered a setback in her campaign to become France’s first woman president on 15 February 2007 after one of her top advisers resigned. Ms Royal’s aides said Eric Besson, the Socialist party’s national secretary for the economy and tax, resigned after a disagreement over when to reveal the cost of her manifesto promises. In March 2007 Mr Besson published a book attacking Mrs Royal.