In France, the 'First Lady' has a murky official existence
PARIS, Jan 14: France´s first ladies have always had a murky official existence, bound by no legal status but still given taxpayer-funded staff and an office.
As Valerie Trierweiler reels from revelations that her long-term partner, President Francois Hollande, has been having an affair with an actress, the issue of the first lady´s legal status has once again come to the fore -- all the more so as the two are not married.
Presidents´ wives or partners are mentioned only once in France´s big legal arsenal -- if they are widowed, they are entitled to a survivor´s pension, as is the case with many other spouses.
But the president´s partner is nevertheless always given an office and a secretary at the Elysee presidential palace, officially to respond to mail. She also has a bodyguard.
According to a recent investigation by the weekly VSD magazine, Trierweiler costs the state 19,742 euros ($27,000) a month -- far less than the 60,000 euros spent by her predecessor Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the 80,000 euros used by Bernadette Chirac before that.
When the president goes abroad on official business, the state also pays for his partner to accompany him.
Trierweiler -- who is being treated in hospital for extreme stress following the affair revelations -- is due to accompany Hollande to the United States next month, although it is now unclear what will happen.
The ambiguous status of France´s first ladies has raised eyebrows in the past.
In 2006, Socialist lawmaker Rene Dosiere had raised the red flag on the fact that Jacques Chirac´s wife Bernardette was able to use the Elysee´s cars and chauffeurs at will.
A year later, he had also questioned why Cecilia Sarkozy, who was then still married to the president, had been able to pay for items with a presidential credit card.
To clarify the issue once and for all, some say a legal "First Lady" status should be created, laying out exactly what her position entails and the budget that she should be entitled to.
Others, though, back a strict separation between the head-of-state´s public and private lives, as is the case in many Western countries.
They say this is also more reflective of an evolving society, where divorces are common, couples do not necessarily marry and leading politicians´ partners may not always want to put their own careers on hold.
