Over the past few days, French politicians of all persuasions have precipitated an expected bill requiring public officials and elected leaders to publicly disclose their personal assets, by taking it upon themselves to divulge the details of their wealth, reports France 24.
Some have done it willingly, others have done it begrudgingly, but none have done it with as much wit and sarcasm as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of France’s far-left Parti de Gauche party.
Taking to his personal blog, Mélenchon published an acerbic post this week in which he provided information about his finances, shoe size and weight. While Mélenchon’s words may have drawn a few laughs, they also echoed criticism by other politicians of the government’s push to introduce legislation aimed at creating greater transparency in the wake of an embarassing tax-evasion scandal.
Former French prime minister François Fillon slammed the so-called “moralisation of politics” bill as a sort-of “voyeurism”, while others have branded it as downright invasive.
Although Mélenchon described the media frenzy and pressure on politicians over the issue as nothing short of “malice”, he also laced his commentary with humour and derision.
“My name in Jean-Luc Mélenchon. I was born August 19, 1951 in Tangier in Morocco. I am 1.74 metres tall. I weigh 79 kilos. My shirts are a size 41/42. My pants are a size 42. My shoes size is 42. All of my hair is completely natural and dye-free,” the far-left leader wrote.
Read more of this report from France 24.