HONEYMOON IS OVER: Emmanuel Macron’s popularity hits new low in poll embarrassment
EMMANUEL Macron’s approval rating has plunged to a new low, with only a little more than one-third of French voters saying they approve of the new French President’s performance, according to a new poll.
By ROMINA MCGUINNESS
Express.co.uk
Thu, Aug 3, 2017
Mr Macron’s popularity rating slumped by seven percentage points in July to 36 per cent, according to the YouGov poll published today for the Huffington Post France and CNews.
Almost half of French voters polled – 49 per cent – said that they “disapprove” of the job he’s doing as president.
To add insult to injury, the new president is now slightly less popular than his conservative prime minister, right-winger Edouard Philippe. Of those polled, 37 per cent said Mr Philippe was doing a “good job” as Mr Macron’s right-hand man.
Mr Macron’s initial popularity appears to be waning, with international relations strained. The Italian government turned on the young centrist for putting the interests of France over those of the EU, despite appearing to tout more integration within Brussels.
Mr Macron scrapped a deal his predecessor Francois Hollande made with Italy, allowing it to take control of the STX shipyard in western France. In a protectionist move, Mr Macron said Italy could only run the manufacturing business 50-50 with France.
France’s youngest president has also been blasted for undermining Italy by entering talks with Libyan leaders to try and solve the migrant crisis. Rome was not invited despite having colonial links to the country and being one of the main destinations for migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
Mr Macron was also embarrassed when Wikileaks released a bundle of emails from the president and his advisors last week.
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