French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media ahead of a Weimar Triangle meeting to discuss the ongoing Ukraine crisis, in Berlin, Germany, on February 8, 2022. (Reuters)

A new poll showed that more than 60% of the French believe that President Emmanuel Macron has become more authoritarian since taking office in 2017.

The poll, which was conducted by Viavoice for the Liberation newspaper, also revealed that 72% of participants believe Macron has done less to bring people together than he did at the start of his first term, and over 60% have doubts about his capacity to address the nation's economic problems. According to 55% of respondents, Macron's overall professional performance declined.

Only 15% of French believe that Macron is relatable to regular people, a drop of 11 percentage points from September 2021.

It is worth noting that the survey was carried out between March 31 and April 4.

The big picture

French President Emmanuel Macron is paying a high price for the pension reform as his popularity is plunging as French protests soar.

The conducted poll coincides with the passing of unpopular pension reforms through a specific constitutional power, Article 49.3, which allows the government to pass a bill without a vote at the National Assembly after only a deliberation at a Cabinet meeting.

Simultaneously, the city of lights turned into the city of garbage after strikes hit the country against President Emmanuel Macrons' proposed pension reforms.

The procedure is currently receiving massive public opposition despite being previously used because it prompts a lot of criticism; the reform is to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

Despite polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and Macron's own popularity dwindling, the French President insisted on keeping a key campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017 and before his reelection in April 2022.