December 30, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 19, 1428

PARIS, Dec 29: The French are increasingly dissatisfied with their government six months after it came to office, and are impatient for results particularly in the area of purchasing power, a new poll shows.

Three quarters of French people questioned on Dec 20 and Dec 21, said they did not trust the government’s ability to boost spending power, a top voters’ concern, up from 64 per cent in August, according to an Ifop poll.

“After a semester of action, there has been a major drop of confidence in the government,” said the Ifop report which will be published on Sunday in the Dimanche Ouest France newspaper.

“One is inclined to read this drop in confidence as a sign of increasing impatience to see implemented measures producing results, notably in the area of purchasing power,” it added.

Recent data showed that French consumer spending unexpectedly fell in November.

The poll’s publication comes as analysts fear French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reforms aimed at infusing new life into the economy could be blighted by a weak global environment expected for 2008.

Sarkozy’s ruling UMP party is also bracing itself for renewed pressure to deliver results ahead of municipal elections in March.

The Ifop poll showed that 73 per cent of French people questioned did not have faith in the government’s efforts to lower taxes, against 57 per cent in August. Meanwhile, only 42 per cent said they trusted the efficiency of measures to fight unemployment, against 53 per cent four months ago.

The Ifop poll was conducted among 961 people aged more than 18 and picked from various groups.—Reuters