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PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity worsened further in September, adding to the turmoil in his administration since the departure of high-ranking ministers and a summer scandal over his bodyguard, according to a poll released on Sunday. .
President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference following the informal meeting of EU leaders in Salzburg, Austria, on September 20, 2018. REUTERS / Lisi Niesner
Only 29% of respondents in September said they were satisfied with Macron, compared to 34% last month and 39% two months ago, according to the Ifop poll for Le Journal du Dimanche.
Its popularity is low in most polls. The former investment banker won the 2017 elections with 66.1% of the vote on a reformist project to modernize the second largest power in the euro area. But many voters ranging from conservative pensioners to low-income workers complain that Macron's policies mostly benefit businesses and the wealthy.
The president was criticized last week for telling an unemployed person that he could easily find a job if he tried.
Environment Minister François de Rugy told BFM-TV: "I consider these polls a stimulant. They remind us that we must act.
"Every time you want to change, some people will oppose it. So you have two solutions: either you stop in the hope of being popular again, or you continue to listen to the French. "
Macron was damaged earlier this month by the surprise resignation of its environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, a former popular activist and television presenter. On September 18, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, one of Macron's closest allies, said he would run for mayor of Lyon in 2020.
The Ifop survey was conducted from 14 to 22 September with a sample of 1,964 people.
Report by Dominique Vidalon, edited by Mark Heinrich
