Macron fails to convince four-fifths of French

Bloomberg

Fewer than one-in-five French people approve of Emmanuel Macron’s performance since he became president 16 months ago, according to a poll published on Sunday.
The survey of 1,013 adults by Kantar Sofres-onepoint for RTL, LCI and Le Figaro showed that 60 percent have a negative view of his presidency so far, with 19 percent holding a positive opinion. The remainder either had no opinion or were undecided.
The top concern for 55 percent of those polled was improving purchasing power, while unemployment was a priority for 40 percent and reducing taxes was a key issue for 39 percent.
Reacting on LCI TV, Christophe Castaner, leader of Macron’s Republic On The Move party, acknowledged the figure was “bad” and said it “reflects the impatience, the expectations, the demands of the French people.”Macron, elected with 66 percent of the vote in May 2017, has seen his popularity tumble in recent opinion polls in part since his moves to reform the labor market have been viewed as benefiting business and the rich. He unveiled an 8 billion euro plan to combat poverty to counter his critics.

Economy Weakens
The president’s room for maneuver meanwhile is being constrained by a weaker-than-expected economy that prompted the government to cut its prediction for growth, and raise its debt and deficit forecasts last week.