Emmanuel Macron has seen his popularity plummet in France, with only one in five French people saying they back the embattled leader. New polling shows the French President’s approval rating is now the lowest it has ever been over the course of his two terms in office, at 17%.
A survey conducted by French polling company Ifop, which polled 1,000 respondents between September 18-19 shows the Mr Macron, who has been described by many as a Europhile, is under more pressure than ever, as strikes, marches and protests attended by hundreds of thousands, rocked the country. French workers, hospital staff and teachers have taken to the streets to protest Marcon’s plans to slash public spending as he grapples with national debt. A slew of unions have also demanded massive tax hikes on the rich, as well as the cancelling of budget cuts.
Frederic Debi, the General Director of the polling firm, said: « A majority of French people are resistant, lost and will not return. »
Mr Macron’s popularity with French citizens has collapsed by 14 points, amongst people who voted for him in both 2017, and again in 2022.
But it’s not all bad news for the embattled French leader, as his latest Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, scored a 42% approval rating.
Mr Lecornu was put in post by Mr Macron after the previous PM Francois Bayrou was ousted from office when he lost a confidence vote.
The newest incumbent will be the sixth Prime Minister since 2022.
Yet despite his growing unpopularity at home, Mr Macron has led a large number of western countries to recognise the State of Palestine, with France being the first G7 country to do so.
The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal followed suit yesterday.
Mr Marcon defended his controversial decision to recognise Palestine, saying that the French wanted « peace and security » for the region.
He told CBS: « If we want peace and security for all in the region, we have to preserve the condition of a political perspective for everybody.
« Recognising the Palestinian state today is the only way to provide a political solution to a situation which has to stop. »
Donald Trump‘s administration has opposed the move, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling France’s recognition a « reckless decision ».
Mr Macron defended his decision, saying: « Hamas is just obsessed by destroying Israel, but I recognise the legitimacy of so many Palestinian people who want a state, who are a people.
« They want a nation, they want a state, and we should not push them toward Hamas. If we don’t offer them a political perspective and such a recognition, the unique answer will be security, and they will be completely trapped by Hamas. »
The French President will formally recognise Palestine as a state today at the UN General Assembly in New York.
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