“If you have to endorse the unpopularity of the country, I will endorse it.” This was declared by Emmanuel Macron last Wednesday, during a television interview that was his first public intervention on the pension reform since January. The President of the Republic did not think so well.
Determined to carry out this bill, despite a strong rejection by public opinion and significant social mobilizations, the head of state is not very popular among the French.
According to a BVA survey carried out for RTL between March 24 and 25, only 28% of those surveyed say they have a good opinion of him. That’s a 6 point drop in a month. Above all, Emmanuel Macron is close to the lowest level he had reached (26%) in the midst of the yellow vest crisis in November 2018.
Supporters of the reform changed their minds
Elisabeth Borne’s popularity rating also reached 28%, the lowest rate since her appointment at Matignon, but the drop, of two points compared to last month, is much less marked than that of the head of state. The latter is perceived as the main person responsible for the situation, while the prime minister is judged “in the boot of Emmanuel Macron” by public opinion.
This survey also confirms the trends observed since the start of this pension reform sequence. First, the majority of the French are against this bill. 70% do not want it to be enacted or applied. So, the social movement always has the assent of public opinion. 64% of those surveyed support the mobilization.
Finally, the executive continues without convincing. It is even the opposite. He is losing followers. According to the BVA survey, 34% of respondents who wanted the reform to be applied are now against its implementation. So many ways to measure the weight of the words spoken by Emmanuel Macron last Wednesday.
Source: BFM TV
