Most French People Give Thumbs Down to Francois Hollande in Poll

PARIS: More than 80 per cent of French people do not want Francois Hollande to stand for re-election in the next presidential contest in 2017 due to his poor economic record, according to a poll ahead of his third anniversary in power later this month.

The poll, carried out by the CSA institute for news website Atlantico, showed that the same proportion of people surveyed - 81 per cent in total - thought Hollande's record in office was "negative".

"The reasons are diverse," Yves-Marie Cann, who is in charge of political polls at the CSA, was quoted as saying by Atlantico.

"The lack of track record in terms of the economy and social affairs has a significant impact, 1 1/2 years after the deadline for reversing the unemployment curve."

Cann added: "The increase in fiscal pressure, the decline in purchasing power are also contributing to the negative sentiment."

Hollande has succeeded in stemming the slump in his approval ratings since his handling of the Islamist militant attacks in Paris in January, with 32 per cent of those polled now considering that he has presidential qualities such as courage and determination.

However, Hollande must achieve economic and social results as the main condition for a lasting improvement in his ratings leading into the next election, Cann added.

The number of people out of work in France rose again in March, showing that gradually improving economic data have yet to translate into job market gains in the euro zone's second-biggest economy.

Hollande has said he will not seek a new term in 2017 unless unemployment is tangibly falling by then.

Unemployment was 10.6 per cent as of March, compared with 11.3 per cent for the euro zone as a whole, according to the latest data from the European Union's statistics office, Eurostat.

The CSA said 995 people aged 18 and over took part in the poll, which was carried out via Internet between Tuesday and Thursday.