French leaders’ approval ratings plunge: Poll
The approval ratings of France’s President François Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls decline in February, an opinion poll shows as Paris struggle with economic problems persists.
Hollande recorded a 24 percent approval rating in February, down from 29 percent in January, according to the survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) for French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, published on Sunday.
The proportion of the French citizens, who are “very dissatisfied” with Hollande’s performance, has increased by 8 percent to 37 percent in the one-month time span, the poll of 1,972 people further indicated.
It also found that only 46 percent of those polled were satisfied with Valls in February, compared with 53 percent in January.
IFOP's Frédéric Dabi said the figures reflected public discontent over Hollande’s “inaction” and “lack of results”, especially over his failure to tackle the unemployment crisis.
The statistics were released three days after the French Socialist government survived a parliament no-confidence vote after it resorted to a decree to bypass opposition to an economic reform bill.
Last November, a survey by pollster YouGov showed Hollande’s popularity had reached an all-time low of 12 percent. It was the worst score for a French president in modern-day polling.
France, Europe’s second-biggest economy, is grappling with political and economic crises, worsened with Hollande taking power back in May 2012.
The French economy has been stagnant for years with the rate of unemployment hovering around 10 percent.
France’s austerity policies have put its citizens under more financial pressure than ever. Sales taxes and retirement taxes have been raised, while massive cuts to social services have forced households to dip into their own pocket to cover for the government’s absence.
SSM/NT/AS
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