Dominique de Villepin.... who may not be a woman ...
the former French prime minister who gained international renown for speaking out against the war in Iraq, has shaken up La Belle France's presidential campaign by announcing he'll run as an independent.
The announcement on French television is likely to complicate life for both the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, and President Nicolas Sarkozy,
...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit...
who runs the conservative UMP party that Villepin served under.
By positioning himself as a centrist, Villepin could siphon votes from both candidates, but the move is being seen primarily as a finger in the eye of Sarkozy. The two men are bitter rivals, despite inhabiting the same conservative side of the political spectrum.
Villepin was acquitted in September of charges he took part in a smear campaign against Sarkozy. On Sunday, he criticized Sarkozy for not protecting La Belle France's interests at a recent EU summit and imposing several rounds of budget cuts.
With growth slowing and difficult budget cuts likely ahead, both Hollande and Sarkozy have tried to paint themselves as beyond partisanship -- possibly because they fear both established parties will be blamed for La Belle France's high debt levels and poor economy.