AFP, Paris :
French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity is creeping up in opinion polls as he tours the country as part of a “great national debate”, part of his government’s response to anger expressed by the “yellow vest” protest movement.
The president, who lost 15 points between June and November, according to polls by the BVA survey group, has recovered four points over the past month, the latest BVA poll said Friday.
The survey, carried out between January 23 and 24, showed 31 percent of people had a positive of view of Macron, while 69 percent expressed a negative opinion.
An Odoxa poll, carried out on January 22 and 23 and also released Friday, found that 30 percent of people thought he was a “good president”, while 69 percent thought otherwise.
Analysts see his recovery as being linked to four campaign-style performances in “the great national debate”-a series of town hall meetings held up and down the country over the past 10 days.
On Thursday, Macron arrived unannounced at a town hall meeting of some 250 people in the small southern town of Bourg-de-Peage, answering questions and making the case for his policies over three hours.
Macron is frequently denounced as the “president of the rich” by his opponents due to his business-friendly policies and tax cuts for the wealthy, which have been a focus of the anger expressed by “yellow vest” protesters.
“You know I’m not an heir, I was born in Amiens… If I had been born a financial banker, you could have a go at me. If I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, or the son of a politician, you could have a go at me. But that’s not the case,” he said.
He began the town hall debates on January 15 by spending more than six hours listening to and responding to mayors in a village in northern France.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity is creeping up in opinion polls as he tours the country as part of a “great national debate”, part of his government’s response to anger expressed by the “yellow vest” protest movement.
The president, who lost 15 points between June and November, according to polls by the BVA survey group, has recovered four points over the past month, the latest BVA poll said Friday.
The survey, carried out between January 23 and 24, showed 31 percent of people had a positive of view of Macron, while 69 percent expressed a negative opinion.
An Odoxa poll, carried out on January 22 and 23 and also released Friday, found that 30 percent of people thought he was a “good president”, while 69 percent thought otherwise.
Analysts see his recovery as being linked to four campaign-style performances in “the great national debate”-a series of town hall meetings held up and down the country over the past 10 days.
On Thursday, Macron arrived unannounced at a town hall meeting of some 250 people in the small southern town of Bourg-de-Peage, answering questions and making the case for his policies over three hours.
Macron is frequently denounced as the “president of the rich” by his opponents due to his business-friendly policies and tax cuts for the wealthy, which have been a focus of the anger expressed by “yellow vest” protesters.
“You know I’m not an heir, I was born in Amiens… If I had been born a financial banker, you could have a go at me. If I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, or the son of a politician, you could have a go at me. But that’s not the case,” he said.
He began the town hall debates on January 15 by spending more than six hours listening to and responding to mayors in a village in northern France.
