French President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating has slipped below 20 pc for the first time since he took office, marking a new low as anger grows over increased defence spending and cuts to social programmes.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has also fared poorly in the same survey, making the pair the least popular executive team in France’s modern political history.
Macron’s latest rating has fallen to 19 pc, while Bayrou sits at just 18 pc, according to a new IFOP poll published Monday. Together, their combined approval of 37 pc is the lowest recorded under France’s Fifth Republic.
Even during the height of the Yellow Vest protests — the major anti-government demonstrations that erupted in 2018 over fuel taxes and economic hardship — Macron’s support did not drop below 23 pc.
Support for Macron has declined sharply among his 2022 voters, with only 49 pc still backing him, down 12 percentage points. Business leaders and executives have also turned away, with support among these groups falling by 18 and 8 points, respectively.
Bayrou, who took office after Michel Barnier’s government collapsed in late 2024 amid coalition feuds and public fury over pension reform failures, is now advancing a controversial austerity package.
The prime minister has unveiled new tax measures targeting high-income earners to help bridge a €43.8 billion budget shortfall.
The plan freezes pensions and social benefits, caps healthcare spending, and scraps two national holidays in a bid to boost productivity and cut costs. Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has demanded Bayrou’s resignation, describing the measures as “intolerable injustices”.
While social services face significant cuts, France’s defence budget is set to expand. Macron has pledged an extra €6.5 billion for the military over the next two years, citing heightened threats to European security. France’s public debt has reached €3.3 trillion — about 114 pc of its GDP.
A newly released French defence review has warned of a potential “major war” in Europe by 2030, naming Russia as a key threat. Moscow has denied any plans to attack Western nations, accusing NATO allies of using the fear of Russia to justify rising defence spending.
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