A de Gaulle-style press conference broadcast from the community hall of the Élysée to “rearm” France civically and economically. The great “meeting with the nation” desired by Emmanuel Macron was ultimately only honored by 8.7 million spectators on Tuesday evening, an audience down compared to his previous television interventions.
After a year marred by the unpopular pension reform, the thorny immigration law and a change of prime minister, the President of the Republic faced an audience of journalists to set his new course. For more than two hours, Emmanuel Macron set about laying out the main directions of his second five-year term to “make France stronger and fairer”.
Education, health, work… Despite a string of announcements, the Head of State has not convinced two thirds of French people (65%), according to an Odoxa-Backbone Consulting survey for Le Figaro. For 62% of the population, the head of state was neither “up to the challenges for the country” nor “close to their concerns” (66%). Faithful, Renaissance supporters constitute the only electoral base attracted by the presidential speech (72%). Thus 59% of Republican voters, 65% of Socialists, 70% of rebels and 86% of Lepénists expressed their dissatisfaction. This is one of Emmanuel Macron’s worst scores after a televised intervention.
If the figure of Emmanuel Macron concentrates the discontent, the French reserve a better reception to the presidential announcements. Of the eleven main measures announced on Tuesday, nine received the approval of a majority of French people. First and foremost, the 2 billion euro reduction in taxes for the middle classes, welcomed by 85% of the population. The promise of “civic rearmament” also found favor in the eyes of the French, 72% of whom were in favor of doubling the hours of civic education in middle school and 61% of encouraging the experiment with “unique outfit”. The only exceptions are the “doubling of the deductible from 50 cents to 1 euro on each box of medicine” which receives 76% disapproval and the “confirmation of the 10% increase in the price of electricity” (88%). Despite their general popularity, these measures are not a priority for 58% of French people, of whom 62% think that Emmanuel Macron will not keep his commitments.
Installed below the presidential office, almost the entire government was gathered in the Élysée village hall on Tuesday evening. Displaying an insolent popularity rating from poll to poll, the new prime minister retains his place as the government’s favorite. If 21% of French people remain undecided, 48% of them say they are satisfied with the promotion of Gabriel Attal, compared to 39% who are dissatisfied.
Taken in the war of the macronie, Rachida Dati, now Minister of Culture, is far from arousing the same enthusiasm. While his entry into government should have had the effect of a coup, the choice of the ex-LR turns out to be a bad political calculation. Only 30% of French people approve of this nomination, a score even lower than that of Sarkozy candidate Catherine Vautrin (31%). Rachida Dati, however, does not arouse the same rejection as Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (52%), mired in a controversy over the private schooling of her children only a few days after her arrival at the Ministry of National Education. No less than one in two French people are asking for their resignation. “The Attal effect” will also not have succeeded in curbing the unpopularity of the new government team which enjoys the satisfaction of only 30% of the population.
