French politician Marine Le Pen is the current top favourite to win the general election in 2027, according to a prestigious British daily newspaper. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron's popularity is in decline, hitting a three-year low of late.

French politics has seen a surprising turn of events, according to The Times. In its article, the national daily underlined that Marine Le Pen, one of the most popular French politicians, is now the favourite to win France’s next presidential race to be held in 2027.

Marine Le Pen has enhanced her stature as France’s president-in-waiting after a fortnight of chaotic debate on the government’s pension reform https://t.co/LNy4vgvCbP

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) February 17, 2023

The right-wing politician has strengthened her position after having become a true mainstream figure in the past two weeks. She is a vigorous opponent of the pension reform planned to be introduced by the government and a fierce critic of President Macron, who is trying to make the French work longer by extending the retirement age by two years.

The British daily says Ms Le Pen’s popularity has been on the rise practically since the April elections due to her growing acceptance by members of the working class and the lower middle class. The Times also highlights the current European context in terms of elections, with special regard to the election of Georgia Meloni as Italy’s prime minister.

In contrast, President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity rating is plummeting. The French head of state has not been so unpopular in the past three years as he is now, according to an Ifop survey commissioned by Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD).

[SONDAGE] – La cote de popularité d’Emmanuel Macron atteint son plus bas niveau depuis trois ans.

👉 https://t.co/Z4JFShpDPD pic.twitter.com/v5lPCMU1P6

— Le JDD (@leJDD) February 18, 2023

The survey reveals that the French are less and less satisfied with the activities of their president, with only 32 per cent saying that they are happy with France’s leaders. The French president’s popularity rating fell by two per cent in one month, hitting the same low point as three years ago in February 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

A comparison between the current findings and the results of the survey conducted a month ago reveals that President Macron’s popularity has primarily dropped among supporters of the Republicans, with 12 per cent fewer respondents saying that they have trust him than earlier. However, Mr Macron’s acceptance has fallen by four per cent even among supporters of the governing party.

The survey reveals that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is not doing any better, either. After a drop of 3 per cent, the prime minister’s popularity rating currently stands at 29 per cent, the lowest since she took office.

The steep drop in the popularity of both France’s prime minister and president is mainly due to the government’s highly contentious pension reform plans, which faces extremely strong resistance.