Sarkozy ‘most unpopular French President in 50 years’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a round-table meeting on rurality, in Bonneval, France recently.

Nicolas Sarkozy has emerged as the most unpopular French President in 50 years in a new poll.

According to the French poll, Mr. Sarkozy’s popularity has gone down to just 29 per cent, 3 points less than in September to reach its lowest ever, ahead of another week of strikes and petrol shortages, the Daily Mail reported.

The low announced by ‘BVA Orange L’Express’ was even lower than the President’s previous Fifth republic record of 32 per cent in 2008.

Mr. Sarkozy, in fact, is polled even more unpopular than General Charles De Gaulle who oversaw the new French constitution in 1958.

The General said “Non” to British membership of the Common market, expelled US army bases, pulled France out of NATO, and refused to resign during the student revolution of May 1968.

Signs that Mr. Sarkozy’s determination to push through pension reforms and raising retirement age from 60 to 62 may have placed him on a slippery slope emerged last week.

Surprisingly, the poll revealed that 57 per cent of French people support Unions’ and students’ protests and 68 per cent of French people believe the economic policy of his government is bad.

Within the 71 per cent of the population unhappy with Mr. Sarkozy’s general policies, 73 per cent of private sector employees and 79 per cent manual workers and service employees said “Non” to Mr. Sarkozy’s regime, the poll showed.