Editing President of France (section)

==Pension and benefits==
According to French law, former presidents of the Republic have guaranteed lifetime pension defined according to the pay grade of the [[Conseil d'État (France)|Councillors of State]],<ref>{{cite French law |number or usual name=n<sup>o</sup> 55–366 |date in French=3 avril 1955 |full name=relative au développement des crédits affectés aux dépenses du ministère des finances et des affaires économiques pour l'exercice 1955 |url=http://legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006068144&dateTexte=20130619}}.</ref> a courtesy [[diplomatic passport]],<ref>{{cite French arrêté |article=1 |date in French=11 février 2009 |full name=relatif au passeport diplomatique |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000020276619&dateTexte=20130619}}.</ref> and, according to the French Constitution (Article 56), membership of the Constitutional Council. They also get personnel, an apartment and/or office, and other amenities, though the legal basis for these is disputed. The current system for providing personnel and other amenities to the former French presidents was devised in 1981 by [[Michel Charasse]], then advisor to President [[François Mitterrand]], in order to care for former president [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] and the widow of former President [[Georges Pompidou]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.senat.fr/seances/s200806/s20080619/s20080619005.html |title=19 June 2008 Proceedings |publisher=[[Senate of France]] }}</ref> In 2008, according to an answer by the services of the prime minister to a question from [[René Dosière]], a member of the National Assembly,<ref>[http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q13/13-140QE.htm Question #140], answer published in the {{lang|fr|[[Journal officiel de la République française]]}} on 24 June 2008 page: 5368.</ref> the facilities comprised: a security detail, a car with a chauffeur, first class train tickets and an office or housing space, as well as two people who service the space. In addition, funds are available for seven permanent assistants. President Hollande announced a reform of the system in 2016. Former presidents of France will no longer receive a car with chauffeur and the personnel in their living space was cut as well. Additionally, the number of assistants available for their use has been reduced, but a state flat or house remains available for former officeholders. Train tickets are also available if the trip is justified by the office of the former officeholder as part of official business. The security personnel around former presidents of France remained unchanged.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://lemonde.fr/politique/article/2016/10/05/hollande-rabote-les-privileges-des-anciens-presidents_5008343_823448.html |title=Hollande rabote les privilèges des anciens présidents |work=[[Le Monde]] |date=5 October 2016 |language=fr }}</ref>