Polls & Research

France’s Chirac Leaves with Low Numbers

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - In the final days of his mandate, the leadership capabilities of French president Jacques Chirac are trusted by few, according to a poll by TNS-Sofres published in Le Figaro. 64 per cent of respondents have no confidence in Chirac's ability to face the country's problems.

Chirac won the presidential election in 1995, and was re-elected in a run-off over Jean-Marie Le Pen in May 2002. The head of state's popularity increased in late 2002 and early 2003 due to his vocal opposition to armed conflict in Iraq without an explicit mandate from the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

Following a defeat in the May 2005 referendum on the European Constitution, Chirac named Dominique de Villepin as the country's new prime minister. 62 per cent of respondents express no confidence in de Villepin.

On May 6, Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) candidate and former interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy won the presidential run-off with 53.06 per cent of the vote.

When Sarkozy accepted his party's nomination to run for the presidency, he said about the outgoing head of state: "I want to pay homage to Jacques Chirac, who honoured France when he opposed the war in Iraq, which was a mistake."

In his victory speech, Sarkozy vowed to restore France's relationship with the United States, strained during Chirac's presidency, saying, "American friends. (...) I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need her, but that friendship is also accepting the fact that friends can think differently."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in president Jacques Chirac to face France's problems?

Do you have confidence in prime minister Dominique de Villepin to face France's problems?