FILE- In this July 20, 2017 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and his wife Brigitte Macron await for a diner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady. The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday. As Macron's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance the president's wife activities. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady.
The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday.
During his presidential campaign, the 39-year-old outspoken centrist promised more "transparency" on the issue. France's first lady doesn't have an official status.
As the president's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance his wife's activities.
Brigitte Macron currently has an office at the Elysee palace and a staff composed of two advisers and two secretaries, as well as bodyguards.
Publicly, she is mostly seen at her husband's side.
The status of the president's partner appears to be a sensitive issue in France following a series of scandals in the past few decades, including Macron predecessor Francois Hollande's complex private life.
There hasn't been a presidential spouse in the Elysee Palace since 2012, when former President Nicolas Sarkozy and his supermodel wife Carla Bruni left.
Hollande entered office in 2012 with his girlfriend Valerie Trierweiler at his side, but she left him after a tabloid magazine exposed Hollande's secret affair with actress Julie Gayet in 2014.
Gayet has never publicly appeared by Hollande's side.
Macron once said he wants to end "French hypocrisy" about the status of presidential spouses. The person living with the president "must be able to play a role and be recognized for that role" but wouldn't be paid for it, he said before his election.
Macron has created an inseparable team with his wife Brigitte during his presidential campaign, a move more often seen on American political stages than in France.
Brigitte Macron, 64, a former teacher at Emmanuel Macron's high school, attended most of her husband's rallies. The president doesn't hide that she is also his close political adviser.
FILE- In this May 27, 2017 file photo, French president Emmanuel Macron, left, and France's First Lady Brigitte Trogneux prior to the French Cup 2017 Final soccer match, between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Angers at Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady. The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday. As Macron's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance the president's wife activities. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this June 11, 2017 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave a polling booth as they vote in the first round of the two-stage legislative elections, in Le Touquet, northern France. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady. The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday. As Macron's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance the president's wife activities. (Christophe Petit-Tesson/Pool photo via AP, File)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this May 14, 2017 file photo, French President-elect Emmanuel Macron poses for photographers with his wife Brigitte Macron after the handover ceremony with outgoing President Francois Hollande, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady. The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday. As Macron's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance the president's wife activities. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 12, 2017 file photo, French centrist presidential election candidate Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte sit on a chairlift on their way to the mountain top for a lunch break during a campaign visit in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, southwestern France. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to formalize the role of the president's wife amid controversy over the cost and status of the first lady. The president's office is preparing a formal communication in coming days, Brigitte Macron's office said Tuesday. As Macron's popularity drops in polls, more than 270,000 people have signed a petition in the past few weeks against the plan to grant a tax-funded budget to finance the president's wife activities. (Eric Feferberg/Pool photo via AP, File)
The Associated Press