What Ails Nicolas Sarkozy?

By Song Shutao

Xinhua, May 8, 2008

 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings hit a record low in April, driven by growing concerns about the economy, stumbling reforms and rising prices.

    A recent poll by the BVA institute showed only 32 percent of respondents had a positive view of Sarkozy, down 8 percentage points on the month and the worst reading since the president took office last May.

    The BVA says Sarkozy's 64-percent disapproval rate is the most negative it has recorded since beginning to conduct regular monthly polls in 1981.     

    STUMBLING REFORMS FALL SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS

    Analysts attributed the slump in Sarkozy's popularity to his vaunted domestic reforms, which have yielded little results in improving public living standards.

    In the first few months after taking office, Sarkozy initiated a wide range of reforms, and surveys showed that around 60 percent sided with the new leader.

    But the honeymoon did not last long because the wide-ranging reforms inevitably undermined the interests of several groups.

    Reform proposals such as reducing job opportunities in the civil service and education sectors, and restructuring the pension system have drawn criticism.

    High school students staged weeks of protests against plans to cut 11,200 education jobs as part of government efforts to streamline the public service.

    On May Day, the two large French trade unions, the CGT (General Confederation of Labor) and CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labor), held a joint demonstration for the first time in four years in Paris. Thousands of people joined the protests against the planned pension system reform and the rising cost of living.

    Major trade unions are considering staging a nationwide strike on May 22 to protest against the planned pension reform.     

    FALLING PURCHASING POWER DISAPPOINTS PUBLIC

    Another factor that has the public disenchanted with Sarkozy is his failure to address French households' falling purchasing power, analysts indicate.

    During his election campaign, Sarkozy had promised to boost France's economy and to be "the president of purchasing power."

    But the long-expected changes have failed to arrive due to a number of unfavorable factors, including soaring global oil and food prices, the impact of the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis and the strong euro.

    Survey after survey reveals that the cost of living has replaced unemployment as the top concern of French voters.

    BVA head Jerome Sainte-Marie said respondents were especially concerned about their purchasing power and thought the president had failed to live up to his pre-election promise, with two-thirds saying they thought the president was not on the right track on the issue.

    According to a recent survey by the French weekly Journal du Dimanche, nearly 80 percent of the public holds that Sarkozy has not been able to improve France's economic and social situation. 　

    MOUNTING CHALLENGES AHEAD

    The success or failure of Sarkozy's administration depends on whether reforms can go ahead smoothly and yield expected results, which is also the main concern of French citizens, analysts say.

    In a prime time television interview on April 24, Sarkozy gave an in-depth explanation of his reform program, admitting to and apologizing for errors made during his first year in office.

    "I will improve the purchasing power of the French people by obtaining either a decrease in prices or at any rate a controlled rise," he said

    The president added that the sharp dive in approval ratings will not shake his reform strategy and he expressed hope that an economic boom can be achieved in his remaining term.

    Sarkozy's flamboyant lifestyle and his very public personal life have also contributed to the simmering criticism and antipathy directed at him, believe analysts.

    However, the BVA said record-low approval ratings for a leader is not rare in French politics. Former presidents Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac had also seen their popularity levels drop to 31 percent and 32 percent respectively during their terms in office, though the negative ratings for Sarkozy are the deepest they have ever seen.

    Finding a way to push forward reforms and boost the French economy against the backdrop of a global economic crunch and rising domestic dissatisfaction are among the challenges that Sarkozy will have to address, analysts say.