Macron pays high price for his popularity on pension reform, survey finds – POLITICO

Emmanuel Macron is paying a heavy price for his push on pension reform as a poll on Sunday showed the French president facing a new low in popularity – as low as during the so-called Yellow Jackets protests.

As the French take to the streets to protest against Macron’s pension reform, 70% of those questioned say they are unhappy with the president, according to the Ifop barometer published by Le Journal du Dimanche. Macron’s approval rating has dropped 4 points in a month, he showed.

Since December, Macron has suffered a substantial drop of 8 points, and he only sees 28% satisfied and 70% dissatisfied, according to the survey carried out, underlines Le Figaro, between March 9 and 16.

This is the same period as the negotiations that finally led the Elysée to shun Parliament and impose the unpopular pension reforms via a special constitutional power, Article 49.3, which provides that the government can pass a bill without a vote in the National Assembly. Assembly, the lower house of parliament, after deliberation at a Cabinet meeting.

The procedure has been used in the past by various governments. But this time, he is drawing a lot of criticism due to massive public opposition to the reform bill, which raises the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. Some media point out that recent opinion polls have shown that a majority of French people are opposed to this type of procedure.

“We have to go back to the end of the Yellow Vests crisis in early 2019 to find comparable levels of unpopularity,” writes Le Journal du Dimanche, commenting on the survey. The newspaper also points out that dissatisfaction with Macron crosses all categories, the younger generations as well as blue and white collar workers.

A total of 169 people, including 122 in Paris, were taken into police custody for questioning on Saturday evening in France during demonstrations marred by tensions between the police and the demonstrators, according to French media citing figures released on Sunday by the ministry of security. Interior.