French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity has waned since the yellow vest movement, with Marine Le Pen leading the pack of candidates to succeed him.
According to an Ipsos poll of 1,000 representative voters conducted between January 8 and 9, President Macron's approval rating has fallen by two points since the start of the year, to just 21%.
According to to le figaroThe poll shows Mr Macron's approval ratings are at their lowest since the 2018 yellow vest movement, when mass working-class demonstrations erupted in response to the government's green agenda tax plan.
The outcome is even darker for Prime Minister François Bayrou, who was appointed to the Hôtel Matignon by President Macron in December after the short-lived government of Michel Barnier was ousted in a parliamentary censure motion.
Mr Bayrou's approval rating was recorded at just 20%, compared to Gabriel Attal's 37%, Michel Barnier's 34% and Elisabeth Borne's 27%. It had the lowest approval rating.
Macron has vowed to remain president until his second and final term at the Elysée Palace ends in 2027, but his government faces upheaval in the coming months.
EU financial sanctions and the possibility of a national credit rating downgrade loom over Paris as France's debt crisis deepens. It remains to be seen whether the new Bayrou government will be able to compromise on a budget proposal to address the debt problem.
Given President Macron's disastrous decision to call for the dissolution of parliamentary elections last summer and his deal with far-left forces to prevent Marine Le Pen from winning the second round of the National Rally, parliament is effectively The party remained divided into three parties, making it difficult to pass any legislation. .
Macron is prohibited by the constitution from calling new parliamentary elections until July. He may try to drag his feet until then, but international and domestic pressure could force him to resign by then.
Le Pen, who had expected Macron to resign early, was at the top of the group with 34% of candidates to succeed him. She is followed by populist star Jordan Bardella's deputy with 33%.
Neoliberal former prime minister Edouard Philippe has 30%, followed by Interior Minister Bruno Letailot with 25% and Macronist former prime minister Gabriel Attal with 24%.
However, issues remain for Le Pen, including the two-round voting system to prevent an outside party from seizing power, and a court case over allegations of misuse of EU funds. There is a risk that he will be barred from running for office for five years.
