(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The popularity of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and French prime minister François Fillon remains practically unchanged this month, according to a poll by Ipsos published in Le Point. 40 per cent of respondents have a positive opinion of Sarkozy, while 50 per cent feel the same way about Fillon.

In May 2007, Sarkozy, candidate for the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and former interior minister, 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.

Yesterday, Sarkozy urged the European Commission to review its forecast for France’s budget deficit, declaring, "What I am saying simply to Brussels is look at your numbers. If (French statistics office) INSEE revised its numbers upwards, perhaps Brussels can also rethink its figures, but I don’t want to stir controversy. (...) France has had budget deficits for the past 35 years. How can it possibly turn the situation around in 12 months?"

The European Commission predicted that France’s budget deficit would rise to 2.9 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year, after it reached to 2.7 per cent in 2007.

Polling Data

Do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of Nicolas Sarkozy’s performance as president?

Do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of François Fillon’s performance as prime minister?

Source: Ipsos / Le Point
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 932 French registered voters, conducted on May 9 and May 10, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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