A majority of French citizens hold an unfavorable opinion of the country’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, according to two polls published Sunday.

The surveys, conducted separately by Ifop and Ipsos/BVA, showed significant discrepancies in their results. Ipsos/BVA found that only 16% of respondents viewed Lecornu positively, while 40% held a negative opinion. This put him behind his predecessor François Bayrou (20% approval at the time of his appointment) and well below Gabriel Attal (37%), Michel Barnier (34%), and Élisabeth Borne (27%).

Meanwhile, 44% of respondents said they did not know Lecornu well enough to form an opinion. Lecornu was appointed on Tuesday by President Emmanuel Macron. According to the same Ipsos/BVA poll, 60% of the French public believe he will fail to reach compromises with opposition parties on passing the 2026 budget.

By contrast, Ifop’s survey for Journal du Dimanche showed a somewhat better picture, with 38% expressing satisfaction with Lecornu — four points higher than Bayrou at the start of his tenure. Still, 62% of those surveyed said they were unhappy with Macron’s choice.

Both polls confirmed a continuing decline in President Macron’s popularity. Ipsos/BVA recorded his lowest approval rating since taking office in 2017, with support at just 17% — a dramatic 18-point drop even among his own voters. Ifop, meanwhile, reported that 81% of respondents (+5 points) disapprove of Macron, while only 19% remain supportive.

As for potential presidential candidates, Jordan Bardella of the National Rally led the Ipsos/BVA poll with 35% of respondents saying they would welcome his presidency, ahead of party leader Marine Le Pen (32%). Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau followed with 27%, edging out former prime minister Édouard Philippe (25%).

Raphaël Glucksmann, the highest-ranking left-wing figure in the poll, came in eighth with 18%. The Ipsos/BVA survey was conducted online between September 11 and 12 with a representative sample of 1,000 people. The Ifop poll was carried out online between September 10 and 11, also with a representative sample of 1,000 respondents. | BGNES, AFP