Sliding into the abyss The disheartening results of Macron’s presidency

Amid a series of failures in both domestic and foreign policy, as well as the growing influence of far-left and far-right political forces in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating continues to plummet, as confirmed by recent polls conducted by leading institutions such as Odoxa and IFop. Meanwhile, Politico reports that, according to a new survey by Verian Group, the current French leader is now the most unpopular president France has seen in the past 50 years.

The Verian Group poll, which surveyed 1,000 respondents and was published in Le Figaro, shows Macron’s approval rating at just 11%—the lowest figure ever recorded by the company.

“The very thing the Élysée Palace feared has happened: Macron’s approval rating fell again in October, reaching the lowest point of his presidency and matching François Hollande’s worst result,” the newspaper wrote, dubbing the survey results “the torments of record-breaking unpopularity.”

At the same time, as noted by another French outlet, Les Echos, citing a poll conducted by the Elabe research service, the leaders of the right-wing National Rally party — Marine Le Pen (35%) and Jordan Bardella (39%) — currently enjoy the highest levels of public support among the French. They remain Macron’s main political rivals today.

International analysts, meanwhile, point out that the current approval ratings are even lower than during the peak of the “Yellow Vest” crisis in 2018, when 20% of citizens still supported the president.

Other polling institutes have reached similar conclusions regarding the decline in Macron’s popularity following his unpopular pension reform, as well as the political deadlock triggered by his decision to dissolve parliament after the far right’s triumph in the 2024 European elections.

Indeed, the overwhelming majority of the French population lost confidence in Macron back in 2023, after he finally approved the reform raising the retirement age from 61 to 64. That decision sparked a wave of massive protests across the country — over a million people took to the streets of French cities, and clashes between demonstrators and police broke out in Paris.

However, beyond this unsuccessful social reform, one of the major shortcomings in the French government’s domestic strategy lies in its ineffective monetary policy, which has led to rising inflation in the country. According to open sources, France’s national debt has exceeded €3.4 trillion, amounting to 115.6% of GDP.

Adding to this negative picture, another blow to the French president’s reputation came from the 2026 draft budget, which does not include any increase in pensions or other social benefits compared to 2025. At the same time, however, the government plans to increase defence spending. Addressing senior military officials at the Ministry of Defence, the French leader personally announced that the country’s defence budget would reach €64 billion by 2027.

In this context, Macron’s justification for his militaristic policy stands out: “To be free in this world, you must be feared; and to be feared, you must be powerful.” Such a statement by the head of the Fifth Republic clearly reflects his imperial ambitions and excessive appetites — and serves as further evidence that the stimulation of social policy is by no means a priority of Macron’s state strategy.

On the other hand, President Macron’s imperial ambitions have suffered crushing failures more than once — and across a rather wide geography. Following the withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, Paris began reducing its military presence in Senegal and Chad, thereby losing its influence in Africa. Likewise, Macron’s attempts to penetrate the South Caucasus region and interfere in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs have been unsuccessful. After the signing of the Washington agreements between Baku and Yerevan, Macron’s ambitions in the South Caucasus finally collapsed.

All these negative factors combined have triggered a sharp decline in the French president’s approval rating — a development that raises the possibility of early presidential elections in the country. To avoid such a scenario, appropriate adjustments must be made to the state governance strategy; however, whether Macron will take such steps remains uncertain. One thing, however, is clear: unless he does, the French president is unlikely to avoid even more serious domestic challenges that he will inevitably face in the foreseeable future.