The French president is facing a deepening political crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity has hit a record low, with his approval rating falling to just 11%, according to a new poll published by Le Figaro on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Macron avoided impeachment despite accusations that he bears responsibility for France’s deepening political crisis. His government has lacked a parliamentary majority for two years, since his decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024. The move, prompted by his coalition’s defeat in the European Parliament elections, was widely seen as a gamble that backfired, producing a hung parliament and halting much of the country’s legislative work.
Since taking office in 2017, Macron has seen seven of his prime ministers resign, including Edouard Philippe (July 2020), Jean Castex (April 2022), Elisabeth Borne (January 2024), Gabriel Attal (July 2024), Michel Barnier (December 2024), and Francois Bayrou (September 2025). The current office holder, Sebastien Lecornu, was reappointed by Macron after resigning in October due to a split in parliament over the government’s efforts to pass a budget aimed at curbing the nation’s rising debt.
The 11% approval mark echoes the nadir reached by Macron’s predecessor Francois Hollande, who also saw his rating fall to similar depths in late 2016, shortly before announcing that he would not seek a second presidential term.
According to the Verian Group, which carried out the survey of a thousand respondents, Macron has tied Hollande as France’s least popular president since the polling organization and its predecessors began tracking public opinion in the early 1970s.
Previous surveys showed a steady decline in Macron’s approval. His satisfaction rating in January 2025 fell to just 21%. A survey conducted last month showed that the president’s rating had slipped further to 15%, with 80% of respondents saying they do not trust him.
