Two thirds of French people don’t trust Macron

The majority of French people were not convinced by President Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with journalists at the Elysee Palace, the first such one during his presidency, according to a survey. 

In an online survey released on Friday by Elabe pollster, 65 percent of 1,005 respondents who watched Thursday’s press conference, said they were not convinced by the president’s two-and-a half hours exchange with media.

The poll also showed that eight of ten citizens thought Macron’s new proposals won’t resolve “Yellow Vest” crisis, while 77 percent of them said what’s was announced did not meet the expectations of the people who have taken to the streets since Nov. 2018.

Addressing the nation, in a long awaited speech, Macron presented the conclusions from nearly three-month national consultations that the government had held across French cities and notably in rural regions to seek adequate ways to handle a social malaise.

In response “to a feeling of unfairness and abandonment,” Macron proposed “a more humane response to unite.”

“This new time of our Republic has one objective: to give hope to everyone to rebuild together the art of being French. It is to be rooted and universal…” he stressed.

With that end, he proposed constitutional reform by the summer to make people more involved in the democratic process by simplifying rules for referendums and decentralizing administrations.

The “Yellow Vest” movement is coordinating a 24th weekend of action against his leadership and his policy.

The spontaneous movement started in November of 2018 as a campaign against a surge in fuel prices. It then evolved into a social rebellion demanding the president to step down.

Since then, the 41-year-old head of state has been struggling to defuse anger despite 10 billion euros of concession he offered by the end of last year.