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Emmanuel Macron's popularity falls faster than any French president ever

Mr Macron is more unpopular than Francois Hollande was after 100 days

Jon Stone
Europe Correspondent
Monday 14 August 2017 15:31 BST
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Emmanuel Macron's popularity has sunk
Emmanuel Macron's popularity has sunk (Reuters)

Emmanuel Macron’s popularity has dropped faster than any previous French president, according to a landmark poll after his first 100 days in office.

Mr Macron is now more unpopular than his predecessor Francois Hollande – himself very unpopular – was after the same length of time in office.

The French President’s first months have been dogged with allegations of financial irregularities among members of his government, as well as rows over planned cuts to housing support for people on low-incomes.

Just 36 per cent of the French public said they were satisfied with the President’s performance, with 64 per cent saying they were not, according to the latest Ifop poll.

At the same stage in Mr Hollande’s presidency the socialist was satisfying 46 per cent of the French public and lost the support of 54 per cent of them.

According to the same series of polls Mr Macron’s rating was as high as 64 per cent in late June and 54 per cent in late July – meaning the biggest falls in his popularity have come most recently.

Christophe Castaner, a secretary of state in Mr Macron’s government, said on the 100 day anniversary that Mr Macron’s government was “not exempt from difficulties”.

He however said the President had seen “a hundred useful days, undoubtedly, a hundred days of action which have laid the foundations for a profound transformation of our country”.

The Conservative-leading Le Figaro newspaper, which commissioned the poll, said the French were “falling out of love” with Mr Macron.

Mr Macron’s predecessor Francois Hollande also became unpopular quickly (Getty) (Getty Images)

Jérôme Fourquet, the director of polling company Ifop, told Le Figaro that Mr Macron had lost his “state of grace” with the French electorate and that the figures were “serious alert” for the President.

However Mr Macron’s satisfaction rate is still higher than the proportion of people who voted for him in the first round of the French presidential election.

There, he won 24 per cent of the vote – narrowly lead a four-way divided field split between the far right, centre-centre, left, and himself: a liberal centrist.

Mr Macron, France’s youngest leader since Napoleon, is pushing through controversial plans to strip away workers’ rights and labour market regulations.

The law passed through France’s upper house, the Sénat, and is now set to be scrutinised by trade unions and employers.

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