Macron a failure as president in eyes of most French voters

Telegraph

2 days ago

The majority of French voters think Emmanuel Macron has been a failure as president, new poll figures show.
Respondents of a new survey delivered a crushing assessment of the French president's two-term performance, with 82 per cent of voters saying Mr Macron's centrist Renaissance movement has been a 'failure'.
The sentiment is shared among 63 per cent of people who also voted for Mr Macron in the 2017 or 2022 elections.
More than eight out of 10 people also said they believe that Mr Macron's centrist political ideology, referred to as 'Macronism', will die out with his final term, which wraps up in 2027. The ideology borrows policies from both the Left and Right sides of the political spectrum.
The feeling is similarly strong among the president's Renaissance supporters, 59 per cent of whom agreed that the president's centrist movement could disappear by 2027.
In France, presidents can serve a maximum of two terms.
'Conclusion is clear'
'In light of these results, the conclusion is clear,' said Céline Bracq, CEO of polling firm Odoxa. 'For the French, Macronism has not established itself as a lasting project, nor as a structuring political movement.'
The findings of the Odaxa poll, commissioned by Le Figaro, were released after Sophie Primas, the government spokesman, caused a political firestorm this month when she declared: 'Macronism will probably come to an end in the coming months, with the end of president Macron's second five-year term.'
Ms Primas, a member of the Republican party, made the statement in response to a question about Bruno Retailleau, who is currently carrying out a juggling act as both the recently named president of the Republican party and minister of the interior in the president's government.
'The question is how we rebuild what comes next,' Ms Primas said in an interview with Europe1/CNews on May 20, pointing out the lack of an absolute majority in the National Assembly and a government formed by coalitions.
Her statements drew fire from Mr Macron's Renaissance party and calls for her resignation.
According to the poll results, the president's harshest critics include women, low-income households, and voters aged 50 to 64.
The online survey of 1,005 people aged 18 and over was conducted between May 28 and 29.
In her analysis, Ms Bracq described the Macronism movement as a 'transitional phase' that was centred on a 'personality and style' rather than a shared ideological base. The poll shows that only one in four voters believe it to be a genuine school of political thought.
Collapse of Macron's electoral base
Over the years, the president's electoral base has also collapsed: 58 per cent of those who voted for him at least once said they would not vote for him again if given the chance.
Instead of building cohesion as Mr Macron intended with the founding of his centrist party, which was touted as an alternative to the legacy parties of the Republicans and Socialists, Macronism has created a bigger divide between Left and Right – and given the Right a leading edge.
According to the poll, support for the Right has increased 6 points to 32 per cent, while those who position themselves on the Left has dropped down 9 points to 30 per cent.
'The trend of recent years illustrates the failure of a promise of lasting reorganisation and confirms the growing isolation of a centre that no longer mobilises,' the report reads. 'The French seem to be returning to a more traditional reading of the political landscape.'
Gabriel Attal, secretary general of the Renaissance party, is seen as the best successor to Mr Macron, but failed to generate consensus, with just 45 per cent of poll support.
Former prime ministers Élisabeth Borne (at 35 per cent) and Édouard Philippe (at 31 per cent) round out the ranking of personalities who best embody Macronism.