According to Ifop-Fiducial poll for Paris Match and Sud Radio, the approval rating of Emmanuel Macron fell by another three points.
The big nationwide debate is not over yet, but it is clear already that President Macron has not benefitted from his grand tour. According to the latest Ifop-Fiducial scoreboard, only 31 percent of French people approve of his action, signalling a decrease of three points.
The electorate of the first round of the presidential elections continue to remobilize, as Paris Match indicated, with the decline noticeable among people over 65 years and retirees. In the same way, the Republican party voters have abandoned the President with only 30 percent supporting him.
Another revelation of this poll is that the “great national debate” is no longer one of the main topics of conversation of the French (32 percent), while the Yellow Vests movement is a theme cited by 67 percent of those questioned.
Also noteworthy is that 46 percent of respondents no longer believe that the President “defends the interests of France abroad” according to Paris Match and this “may be an effect of his discretion on two issues: the return of French jihadists and the situation in Algeria”.
Furthermore, Macron’s platform on Europe, unveiled on Tuesday, March 5, has not gripped Europeans, reported Marianne. The text of the Head of State has been published in 22 languages in 28 newspapers, in every member state. According to the weekly, the text titled “For a European Renaissance” and published on the Irish Times website, has been cited by most European media.
Reactions to the text have been mixed. In an editorial, the Belgian daily newspaper La Libre welcomed the platform of Emmanuel Macron, which aims to build a “safe continent” and “prosperous” union.
The German daily Handelsbatt is ecstatic about the initiative of the French president, saying that nobody has dared before him to speak directly to all Europeans, by ignoring other governments .
But, as the French magazine points out, not all publications are so enthusiastic. La Stampa, an Italian newspaper, believes that Emmanuel Macron’s initiative could be an ambition “more or less declared [to] find a place in the history books under the heading of ‘founding fathers of Europe'”.
The text of the Head of State does even worse in the United Kingdom where it was renamed: “Dear Europe, Brexit is a lesson for all of us: it is time to renew ourselves”.
For The Telegraph, quoted by Marianne , “Brexiters should thank him [Macro] for being so direct. He reminded them that they made the right choice”.
The London daily added: “Macron has poured gasoline on this combustible mixture and risks a harsh reaction from countries that refuse his binary choice to be a country asking for ‘more Europe’ or to benefit from ‘a second class membership to the EU ‘. Not sure that this is the effect expected by the executive.”