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PARIS (Reuters) – The popularity of French President Emmanuel Macron further deteriorated in September, adding to the turmoil in his administration since the departure of ministers and the scandal of his bodyguard, two polls released 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.
A separate opinion poll released Sunday by OpinionWay for LCI showed that only 28% of respondents in September were satisfied with Macron's share, up from 35% in July.
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 this month by the surprise resignation of its environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, a former popular activist and television presenter. On September 18, Gerard Collomb, Minister of the Interior and one of Macron's closest allies, said he would run for mayor of Lyon in 2020.
François Bayrou, leader of the centrist party MoDem and Macron's essential ally, commented on the polls during a meeting of his party: You must know the steps that you follow, but also know where you are going »
The Ifop survey was conducted from September 14th to 22nd with a sample of 1,964 people, while the OpinionWay survey was conducted from September 19th to 20th among a sample of 1,061 people.
Reportage by Dominique Vidalon; Additional report by Caroline Pailliez; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Edmund Blair
