Hollande slumps to 30% popularity

PRESIDENT Hollande is the most unpopular president in more than 30 years; with a survey showing just 30% still have faith in him 10 months after he was elected.

The survey, for Le Figaro Magazine, showed Hollande had lost the brief upsurge in support after the invasion of Mali and was doing worse than even Nicolas Sarkozy who slipped to 37% popularity after his first 10 months.

He did not benefit from any 100-day honeymoon as president because Right-wing voters never had faith in him and Left-leaning sympathisers deserted him as he moved to improve French competitiveness with employment reform and tough budgets.

Pollster Jérôme Fourquet told the magazine that Hollande had also been elected during a “disastrous economic situation” with the largest crisis since the Second World War and unemployment close to its outright record. French people, he said, judge their leaders on their ability to reduce unemployment – when unemployment explodes it is difficult to have rising popularity.

His own personality was the final factor as he quickly gave the impression of being indecisive and as someone who puts off decisions. “Hollande instilled doubt in people’s opinions – especially when promises on the economy and unemployment collapsed in front of the wall of reality.”
Photo: Matthieu Riegler