World

Macron’s Popularity Takes A Hit Following Rough Month

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Jacob Bojesson Foreign Correspondent
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French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity dropped 10 percentage points in July, marking the largest decline for a new president in 22 years.

An Ifop poll released Sunday said 54 percent of the French population are satisfied with their new president.

Macron got off to a strong start by clinching a majority in parliament for his new party La République En Marche (Republic on the move). He has since been widely criticized by opponents over a series of policy moves — primarily his plans to make budget cuts in a number of sectors.

Pierre de Villiers, the head of France’s armed forces, resigned Wednesday after a public dispute with Macron over an 850 million euro ($969 million) cut in the defense budget. De Villiers reportedly said he wouldn’t let himself be “f***ed like that” prior to his resignation. (RELATED: ‘Won’t Let Myself Be F***d’: Head Of French Military Resigns Over Macron’s Leadership)

Macron further angered a lot of his supporters by suggesting Africa has a “civilizational” problem caused by women having “seven or eight” children. (RELATED: Macron Angers His Fans With G20 Africa Speech [VIDEO])

The self-described centrist is backing a bill that would expand security powers for French authorities. Macron has promised to end France’s two-year state of emergency by the end of the year, but critics argue the replacement bill would essentially make all the state of emergency measures law of the land. (RELATED: French Senate Approves Bill To Effectively Put The Country In A Permanent State Of Emergency)

Despite his recent struggles, Macron’s popularity is far better than what his predecessor François Hollande enjoyed during his last months in office. Hollande’s approval rating dipped as low as 4 percent in November 2016.

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