Page "President of France" Paragraph 80

According to article 7 of the Constitution, if the presidency becomes vacant for any reason, or if the president becomes incapacitated, upon the request of the gouvernement, the Constitutional Council may rule, by a majority vote, that the presidency is to be temporarily assumed by the President of the Senate.

If the Council rules that the incapacity is permanent, the same procedure as for the resignation is applied, as described above.