During a televised interview in April 2016, French President Francois Hollande begged
his supporters not to abandon him in the next election.
Many in Hollande’s own party have called him a traitor, and sought unprecedented measures
to field a new candidate in 2017.
Meanwhile, his overall approval rating has slumped to 14 percent, making him the most
unpopular president in the country’s history.
So, why is Hollande so unpopular?
Well, despite temporary spikes after the Charlie Hebdo and November terrorist attacks in Paris,
Hollande’s approval rating has stayed consistently low, ranging anywhere from 12 to 50 percent
Hollande stands firmly in France’s far-left Socialist party, however he has been criticized
on all sides of the political spectrum for his perceived indecisiveness and lack of authority.
Hollande is also blamed for France’s weakening economy and stubbornly high unemployment rate,
which in 2016 hit ten percent.
Some attribute this to France’s outdated labor code, which protects workers unions,
job security, and the famous 35-hour work week.
Many high ranking officials, including Hollande, as well as the European Commision, consider
France’s labor laws to be ultimately harmful to the country’s economy.
To combat this, Hollande’s administration introduced a bill which would weaken those
worker protections.
The reforms proved to be wildly unpopular, as the country’s labor code is seen as a
sacred representation of its core values.
In early 2016, thousands took to the streets and social media to protest the reform, many
of whom represent Hollande’s target voter demographic: leftist youths.
Perhaps the biggest blow to Hollande’s popularity was his infamous “nationality law”, which
would have stripped citizenship from dual nationals who were convicted of terrorism.
The proposed constitutional amendment was a direct response to the November 2015 terror
attacks in Paris, as a majority of the known attackers held French citizenship.
But many French officials, including those in Hollande’s administration, opposed the
amendment, arguing that it was a direct contradiction to France’s principles for equal protection
laid out in their constitution.
After little support in the senate, the initiative failed, and Hollande himself eventually withdrew
support for it.
Some have called this series of events a point of no return for many of his supporters.
Hollande’s unpopular presidency, coupled with a string of terror attacks and a dwindling
economy, has paved the way for the country’s far-right National Front party to gain support.
During the first round of regional elections in 2015, the National Front won nearly 30
percent of the vote, an all-time high for an anti-EU and anti-immigration party.
This has led many on the left fearing that the National Front’s radical leader, Marine
Le Pen, could have a shot at winning the 2017 election.
Although experts say this is unlikely given Le Pen’s radical stances on immigration
and Islam, it’s safe to say that the future of France remains unclear.
National Front is just one of many right wing groups gaining power and popularity in europe,
find out what some of the other major extreme right parties are, and how they’ve come
to power.
Thanks for watching Seeker Daily, don’t forget to like and subscribe for new videos
every day!