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By many measures, France is in a political crisis. The country has record debt levels. Its last two prime ministers were brought down in no-confidence votes because they couldn't find agreement on a budget. President Emmanuel Macron has never been so unpopular. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris.
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: When Macron appointed his latest prime minister last month - yet another mainstream conservative from his camp - the left took to the streets in protest. One of the demonstrators was retired University professor Edit Fetvet (ph). She says Macron's economic policies are deadly.
EDIT FETVET: (Through interpreter) The rich have never been richer, while our healthcare and schools are being degraded. The quality of life is diminishing, and money is flowing from the people to prop up companies and benefit the wealthy.
BEARDSLEY: Many in this crowd believe raising taxes on the very rich will solve the debt crisis. They want a prime minister who will do that and not the one Macron just appointed. The left deserves the prime ministership says protester Gal Godar (ph) because Macron lost his parliamentary majority in elections last year, and it was the left which united to beat back a surging far right.
GAL GODAR: So, for one year now, we've been facing new prime minister. And they were all not what we voted for. So that's a problem.
BEARDSLEY: She carries a sign that says Macron is denying democracy. Yet Godar, like many here, voted for Macron in the last two presidential elections. She says it was the lesser of two evils. They wanted to block his opponent, far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Macron promised to stop the rise of her national rally or Rassemblement National.
CORINNE MELLUL: He ran on that platform both terms.
BEARDSLEY: That's political scientist Corinne Mellul.
MELLUL: Keep the Rassemblement National at bay and do whatever it takes. So he failed miserably because they have never thrived as they do now.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting) Marine, Marine.
BEARDSLEY: Supporters chant Marine, Marine at a recent party Congress of the Rassemblement National.
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MARINE LE PEN: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: She told them France is falling apart because of Emmanuel Macron. The National rally is now France's largest political party with around 33% support in opinion polls. It also controls the biggest voting block in Parliament. Political scientist Jean-Yves Camus says Le Pen has made the party less extreme since taking over from her father 15 years ago. It now attracts middle-class voters.
JEAN-YVES CAMUS: They are not poor. They are not rich. They have a very heavy burden of taxation. When they inherit something, they get taxed up to 50%, so they pay for everything, and they don't get any benefits.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: Volunteers for the National Rally hand out campaign pamphlets at a Paris street market.
NOEL DEL BOSQUE: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: People see the National Rally was right about things like immigration and purchasing power, says canvasser Noel Del Bosque (ph). She says it's time to give the far right a try.
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JORDAN BARDELLA: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: The party wants its young star Jordan Bardella to become the next prime minister. The No. 2 is a smooth-talking TikTok star who was just voted France's most popular politician at the age of only 30.
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BARDELLA: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: The far right and far left not only want to bring down the new prime minister, they're actually calling on Macron to resign. With the president's approval rating hovering around 17%, his opponents say he's lost legitimacy. Macron has a year and a half left in his final term and says he's not going anywhere. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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