(Bloomberg) — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has a higher approval rating than President Emmanuel Macron as he begins forming a new government, an Ipsos poll shows.
Most read from Bloomberg
The survey, published in the newspaper La Tribune, found that 34% of respondents were satisfied with Barnier. This compares with 30% for Macron, a two-point increase from June, when he unexpectedly called early elections that resulted in a hung parliament and months of political paralysis.
The poll also found that 32% of respondents would support far-right Rassemblement National leaders Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella as president in 2027, outpacing former prime ministers Gabriel Attal and Edouard Philippe, who both stood at 31%. Respondents were most opposed to the idea of leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon or far-right Eric Zemmour becoming president.
France’s legislative elections left no group with a majority in the National Assembly. Barnier, appointed this month, is trying to form a government that could rely on Le Pen for survival. On Saturday, she called for a new vote within a year, saying the current situation “cannot last.”
The Ipsos survey of 1,000 people was conducted online between September 11 and 13. The pollsters gave no margin of error but said the results were 95% reliable.
Most read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 Bloomberg LP