Macron likely to ride the feel-good factor
Parallels with predecessor Chirac’s fortunes in 1998 thrown up
It looks like Emmanuel Macron just got lucky again. France’s thrilling 4-2 triumph over Croatia in the World Cup final on Sunday, their second World Cup after home success in 1998 that ushered in a wave of national optimism, is the sort of good-news fillip most presidents can only dream of.
After 14 months in power, Macron’s poll ratings have been falling steadily, down to barely 40 per cent. Despite overseeing a raft of economic and social reforms, the 40-year-old former investment banker has been labelled “president of the rich” by many left-wing critics, and the tag has stuck.
Recent controversies over spending on official crockery, a swimming pool built at a presidential retreat, and cutting remarks about the costs of welfare have reinforced the image of a leader out of touch with the people, at least in some minds.
But just as he took advantage of an extraordinary series of lucky breaks during the 2017 presidential campaign, when his strongest conservative rival had to withdraw after a corruption scandal, Macron’s fortunes may be about to turn again.
In Moscow to watch the final with his wife Brigitte, Macron was overcome by the victory, standing on the field in the pouring rain to hug each of the players in turn at length and then kissing the World Cup trophy in delight. A photo of him celebrating a France goal, his fists pumping the air, has gone viral on social media.
In 1998, then President Jacques Chirac’s popularity soared on the ‘World Cup effect’ — an 18-point jump in his ratings according to Ifop pollsters — helping the ageing Gaullist recover from a humiliating defeat in a 1997 snap election.
Macron’s lieutenants have sought to play down any suggestion that politics and football are linked. They don’t want the president to be accused of leveraging the World Cup. Macron can expect Sunday’s euphoria to unleash a wave of renewed self-confidence and national pride, while perhaps enhancing France’s reputation internationally.