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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Chirac Gets Mostly High Marks In France
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - French adults have a mostly positive opinion of their president, according to a poll by CSA published in La-Croix. More than 63 per cent of respondents believe Jacques Chirac is a courageous and charismatic politician, and a worthy representative of France in foreign countries.
Chirac won the presidential election in 1995, and was re-elected in a run-off over Jean-Marie Le Pen on May 5, 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.
The next presidential election is scheduled for 2007. Chirac has not yet indicated if he will attempt to earn a third term in office as the candidate of the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).
Current finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy is openly seeking the party's nomination. 53 per cent of respondents believe the UMP would face difficulties if Chirac were a presidential candidate again.
Polling Data
Do you think the following statements are applicable to French president Jacques Chirac or not?
Yes | No | |
Worthy representative of France | 76% | 18% |
Charismatic | 71% | 22% |
Courageous | 63% | 28% |
Would move Europe in a good direction | 55% | 36% |
Faithful to his convictions | 53% | 39% |
President for all French people | 53% | 43% |
Close to the people | 52% | 42% |
Knows where he is going | 52% | 37% |
Fosters the union of right-centre | 47% | 41% |
Listens to the French people | 43% | 52% |
Would enable centre-right parties to | 31% | 53% |
Source: CSA / La-Croix
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,141 French adults, conducted from Jul. 6 to Jul. 8, 2004. No margin of error was provided.