Hollande’s approval ratings climb up from rock bottom

ReutersParisPresident Francois Hollande’s approval rating has risen, but the vast majority of French voters remain unhappy with his performance, casting doubt on his re-election chances, said an opinion poll published on Saturday.The Opinionway survey in Le Figaro newspaper said 20% of voters approved of Hollande, five points up from the last such poll in October.However, three years after taking office, some 79% said they were dissatisfied with the president.Hollande’s ratings fell to record lows for a French head of state last year, hitting 13% in one September survey.His standing was given a boost by his handling of Islamist militant attacks in Paris in January, but he still has a long way to go before he can aspire to winning a second term in office at elections due in 2017.The Opinionway survey said that if a vote were held today, he would not even make it through to the second round run-off.Instead, the poll suggested the Socialist leader would come in third, with the candidate for the mainstream conservative UMP party seen heading the field and the far-right National Front chief Marine Le Pen set to take second place.Hollande has not yet said if he will stand for re-election.The president polled weakest over the economy, with just 14% saying that he was doing a good job tackling unemployment.France’s jobless rate stands at more than 10% – a constant thorn in the side of the leftist government.The pollsters interviewed 1,016 people on April 15-16.Opinionway said the poll had a 2-3 point margin of error.