Why the French president's wife is opposed to the position of first lady

By announcing plans to give his wife the title of first lady, the French President has gone against his campaign promises.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. Photo: Vogue.

At first, it seemed like everyone in France was fascinated by Brigitte Macron, the 64-year-old wife of new President Emmanuel Macron. But would they really want to give her an official role with a specific title, her own office, and an annual operating budget, all funded by taxpayers? The answer is “no,” according to the Washington Post.

As of August 7, more than 200,000 people had signed an online petition opposing the French president’s plan to give his wife the title of first lady. The petition is the latest blow to Macron’s image, which is facing a steady decline in his approval ratings.

Despite Mr Macron's landslide election victory in May, only 36% of French people now support their new president, according to the latest polls.

Argumentative

"There is no reason why the wife of the head of state should be allowed to appropriate public funds," the petition reads. "We strongly reject the attacks on Brigitte Macron's gender. Nor do we doubt her competence. But at a time when public life in France needs to be improved, we cannot approve the creation of a special status for President Macron's wife."

During his election campaign, Emmanuel Macron repeatedly mentioned that he wanted his wife to have the official title of first lady. "I want her to have a clear role and I will propose to carry out this process," he said.

The French constitution does not provide for the president’s wife to have the title of first lady. The president is allowed to decide on the official position for his or her spouse. They can have their own office, aides, and security staff. The cost is covered by the French presidential palace, which is estimated at $530,000 a year. Creating an official position would require the creation of a separate budget for the president’s wife.

The controversy has been fueled in part by President Macron’s declaration that “reshaping the public service” is a top priority for his young government. But by planning to create a new title for his wife, he appears to be working against that goal.

Although President Macron has insisted that the first lady will not receive a government salary, many French people still believe that this is a plan to "Americanize" the country's politics. The issue comes at a time when the French parliament is pushing for reforms to prevent lawmakers and government officials from hiring relatives to work for the government.

Francois Fillon, one of Mr Macron's main rivals in the presidential election, lost support after being accused of appointing his wife.into the position of personal assistant and paid hundreds of thousands of euros.

During his election campaign, Mr Macron also vowed to eliminate nepotism. In response to his opponent's scandal, Mr Macron said he wanted to ban politicians from hiring relatives.

“Do as I say, not as I do,” French politician Thierry Mariani wrote on Twitter last month, linking to an article about speculation that Brigitte Macron would be given an official title. Mariani may have meant that President Macron was going against his word with his plan to give his wife the title of first lady.

Love story of the French President and his wife.

On the other hand, for many of the petition's signatories, Mr Macron's desire to create a separate title for his wife actually makes them feel exploited, especially when the budget to serve this position could be taken from their own tax money.

"It's nonsense and nothing new," BBC quoted political analyst Olivier Rouquan as saying. "I can't understand why anyone would want to institutionalize the role and position of a first lady. It's not democratic. We don't elect the president and his wife."

According to VNE