Budget Hike And Pay Rise For Sarkozy Presidency
- November 2nd, 2007
- Posted by EUEditor
Parliament meeting in Paris has voted a 140% increase in salary to the new President, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Not one to downgrade his own worth and having an idea of the dignity of the office, the President is expected to take the rise, from €7 700 to €19 000 monthly (A$ 12136 – 29947; dcerates.com, 2.11.07) – excluding additional pensions or bonuses.
The reason was to bring the figure into line with the salary of the Prime Minister and leaders of other European governments.
“It’s a considerable responsibility to be Head of State,” said Jean-François Copé, parliamentary leader of the President’s political party, the UMP; supporting the move.
(D’être chef de l’Etat, c’est une responsabilité considérable. Je trouve même tout à fait normal que dans ce contexte, le président de la République ait une rémunération qui soit comparable à celle des chefs de gouvernement et des chefs d’Etat des pays européens).
Nicolas Sarkozy said he had wanted the salary fixed by legislation, transparently, and not by himself. (…soit fixé comme pour les ministres, par la loi, en toute transparence).
It was done by amendment to legislation, and a further amendment doubled the budget for the Elysee palace, allocating €32.292-million (A$50.9-million) for the coming year. Much of this extra allocation to the Presidential office is to pay 1000 public servants whose salaries under previous arrangements were covered by their original government departments. However there is also an allocation to allow the President to intervene more directly in operations of government in the area of defence, foreign affairs or the interior.
The left wing and radical blocs in parliament absented themselves from the voting on the allocations.
Reference: MPs vote for a 140% salary rise for the Chief of state, Le Monde, Paris, 30.10.07. (Les deputes votent en faveur d’une hausse de 140% …)
Picture: Official portrait