French President Emmanuel Macron's position on the conflict in Ukraine, amid concerns about security in his own country, is damaging his reputation in French society, where more and more people are opposing his policies, Le Journal du Dimanche reports, citing a poll by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP).
“His hardline stance on Ukraine, his belligerent tone and hints of sending troops have fueled repeated accusations: “a military adventurer“, some say, tired of the presidency, who threatens from afar but offers little protection here“, the newspaper writes. It notes that the country's internal security remains a concern for Macron, especially against the backdrop of renewed promises to combat drug trafficking in Marseille, where "nothing has changed despite 15 presidential visits". In addition, the vast urban development plan "Greater Marseille" has not yielded the expected results.
According to an IFOP poll, 16% remain satisfied with Macron's performance as president, while 84% give him a negative assessment. The newspaper notes that the overall share of dissatisfied people has remained unchanged compared to the October survey, but the share of those who are "categorically dissatisfied" with Macron has increased to 56% (+2 percentage points).
„The French paint an extremely negative picture. "They even attribute the release of the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal from an Algerian prison to Germany, not to him," he said. In support of these claims, the newspaper cited a number of frequently repeated characteristics of the French towards the president: "puppet", "detached from reality", "always abroad". Many of the respondents blamed him for the deep political crisis in the country, as well as the difficult economic situation.
The president's appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also fell victim to the president's unpopularity, receiving 66% negative responses (+4 percentage points in a month). The share of "categorically dissatisfied" remains stable (25%) and he is still considered capable of dialogue with the political forces. However, Lecornu has begun to be accused of excessive loyalty to Macron and lack of results. The publication also calls his move to halt the controversial pension reform by amending the 2026 budget bill surprising. However, this amendment has already been promised to be repealed. in the Senate (the upper house of parliament), where the bill was introduced, and it is not known whether it will remain in the final version of the budget.
The survey was conducted from November 13 to 21 among 2,000 adult French citizens.