French public largely satisfied with Barnier

The French public is largely satisfied with President Macron’s appointment of the centre-right Michel Barnier as the country’s prime minister, despite believing he won’t last long in his post.

Results from the Ifop poll for the Journal du Dimanche revealed that 52 percent of people said they were satisfied with the appointment of 73-year-old Michel Barnier.  Barnier is a former foreign minister and became a household name in the UK in his role as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, as head of government.

This is a similar result to Barnier’s predecessor, Gabriel Attal when he was appointed PM. Attal received 52% approval from the French public when he was appointed France’s youngest-ever prime minister in early January, at just 34 years of age.

Poll Comes Amidst Protests against Appointment

The results of the poll came as 100,000 protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday to protest Barnier’s appointment. Many claim that the move is little more than a power grab from President Macron, who has installed a person much more in line with his own views than the left-wing party that won the election.

Appointment Marks Political Turning Point

Barnier’s appointment- for good or for bad- puts a period of political chaos to bed. President Macron called a snap election in June, but no group won enough votes to claim an overall majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. However, Barnier’s appointment was particularly controversial as his party only came fourth in the election.

According to the Ifop poll, most respondents see Barnier, France’s oldest prime minister in its modern history, as competent (62%) open to dialogue (61%) and likeable (60%).

Left Vow to Topple Barnier

France’s Left, enraged by what they perceive to be an appointment that doesn’t reflect the result of the election, has vowed to topple Barnier with a no-confidence motion. It seems the French public believe they’ll be successful, with 74% of the respondents believing he won’t last long. 

Ifop polled 950 adults online on September 5-6. The margin of error was up to 3.1 points.

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