WORLD
Sarkozy Is Least Popular Right-Wing French President, Ifop Shows
Baku, March 14 (AZERTAC). French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the least popular right-wing president ever in France, an Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche showed.
The president`s disapproval rating climbed to 71 percent from 69 percent in February, the weekly newspaper reported today, citing an opinion poll by the Paris-based institute. That`s higher than the disapproval rating of 70 percent garnered by former President Jacques Chirac in 2005 and 2006, according to the newspaper. Sarkozy`s approval rating slumped to 29 percent this month from 31 percent in February, the poll showed.
All the most recent polls in France have shown Sarkozy`s popularity to be at record lows. Other surveys also have pointed to higher approval ratings for Marine Le Pen, daughter of the National Front`s historic leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss- Kahn, the potential opposition Socialist party candidate to Sarkozy in next year`s presidential race.
Ifop polled 1,889 people of 18 years or older from March 3 to March 11, the weekly newspaper said. No margin of error was given.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon`s support rate also is lower this month, according to Ifop. The proportion of dissatisfied respondents climbed by one percentage point to 51 percent, the survey showed.