Chirac's popularity sinks to 21%

President Jacques Chirac, whose popularity has been steadily falling, now has the approval of only 21% of French voters, with more than seven French in 10 saying they did not have confidence in the head of state, according to a poll published today.

The 1,000 people questioned in the TNS-Sofres poll rated Chirac’s main political rival, his Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, as the most popular person on the right, with 51% of respondents saying they would like to see him play an important role in political life. Sarkozy makes no secret of wanting to run for president in 2007.