PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2023) The approval ratings of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne declined in January by two and four points, respectively, after the French government unveiled its controversial pension reform plan, an IFOP poll commissioned by French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche showed on Sunday.
The survey found that 65% of respondents were unhappy with Macron's actions in January, up three percentage points from December 2022. Meanwhile, only 34% of those sampled said they were satisfied with his performance, down from 36% last month, marking Macron's lowest level of popularity since February 2020.
Borne's approval rating also slumped from 36% in December 2022 to 32% in January 2023, the lowest since she took office in May last year. A total of 64% of the French citizens are dissatisfied with her performance, up from 59% last month.
The survey was conducted from January 12-19 among 1,963 French residents over 18. The statistical margin of error is between 1% and 2.3%.
Earlier in January, Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. According to the draft, the French authorities will gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64 years.
France's leading trade unions announced nationwide strikes against the pension reform starting from January 19. Over 200 demonstrations were held across the country on Thursday, with the largest protests taking place in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Nantes. The French capital also saw the continuation of protests on Saturday.
