French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has dropped to a record low, with only 16 percent of citizens now approving of his performance—a 5 percentage point decline from July. According to a poll published on September 12, 81 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the head of state's actions. Even among supporters of the centrist coalition, only 53 percent back the president.
Simultaneously, the popularity of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is also declining, with 20 percent of French citizens assessing his work positively. Among ministers, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin holds the highest rating with 38 percent support, followed by Laurent Nuñez and Jean-Noël Barrot.
The survey also recorded growing public discontent toward potential presidential contenders. A majority of French people oppose the potential election of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Marine Le Pen, Gabriel Attal, and other leaders. The figures for Édouard Philippe deteriorated particularly sharply, with 57 percent of respondents indicating they would be dissatisfied with his victory.
In effect, heading into the new political season, dissatisfaction in France is rising against both the incumbent authorities and opposition figures.
Such a sharp decline in sociological data indicates a deepening political crisis in France, with public discontent reaching beyond the figure of the sitting president. When an overwhelming majority of citizens hold a negative view of key figures in both the government and the opposition camp, a serious vacuum of political leadership emerges in the country.
In the coming months, it will become increasingly difficult for the French authorities to advance legislative initiatives and reforms, as such a low level of public trust deprives them of political leverage.
