September 06, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in France are confident that their president and his appointed prime minister are capable of handling the country’s most important issues, according to a poll by TNS-Sofres published in Le Figaro Magazine. 64 per cent of respondents trust president Nicolas Sarkozy’s leadership, while 53 per cent feel the same way about prime minister François Fillon.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in France are confident that their president and his appointed prime minister are capable of handling the country’s most important issues, according to a poll by TNS-Sofres published in Le Figaro Magazine. 64 per cent of respondents trust president Nicolas Sarkozy’s leadership, while 53 per cent feel the same way about prime minister François Fillon.

In May, centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) candidate and former interior minister Sarkozy won the presidential run-off with 53.06 per cent of the vote. Sarkozy appointed Fillon—who had been his adviser and presidential campaign leader—as prime minister.

On Aug. 31, Sarkozy proposed a second package of fiscal reforms that seek to boost the European country’s economy, and call for further tax cuts and changes to current labour laws. Among other things, the president criticized France’s mandated 35-hour workweek, saying the regulation is an "economic mistake."

A law put in place by the Socialist-led government in 1998 lowered the official workweek in France, from 39 hours to 35 hours.

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in president Nicolas Sarkozy to face France’s problems?

	Aug. 2007	Jul. 2007	Jun. 2007
Confidence	64%	64%	65%
No confidence	32%	33%	31%

Do you have confidence in prime minister François Fillon to face France’s problems?

	Aug. 2007	Jul. 2007	Jun. 2007
Confidence	53%	53%	56%
No confidence	39%	42%	36%

Source: TNS-Sofres / Le Figaro Magazine

Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 French adults, conducted on Aug. 22 to Aug. 23, 2007. No margin of error was provided.