French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity fell further in September, adding to the troubles his administration faces following the departure of high-profile ministers and a summer scandal over his bodyguard, a poll showed on Sunday.
Only 29 per cent of those surveyed in September said they were satisfied with President Macron, down from 34 per cent last month and 39 per cent two months ago, the Ifop poll for Le Journal du Dimanche found, reports Reuters.
Macron’s popularity is low in most polls. The former investment banker won the 2017 election with 66.1 per cent of the vote on a reformist project to modernise the eurozone’s second-largest power, but many voters ranging from conservative pensioners to low-income workers complain his policies mostly benefit companies and the rich.
The president was criticised last week for telling an unemployed man he could easily get a job if he tried.
Macron was dealt a blow earlier this month with the surprise resignation of his environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, a popular former activist and TV presenter. And on September 18 interior minister Gerard Collomb, one of Macron’s closest allies, announced plans to run for election as mayor of Lyon in 2020.
The Ifop poll was conducted on September 14-22 with a sample of 1,964 people.