French President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval rating has dropped to 26 per cent, it lowest level since he took office three years ago, according to a poll released on Thursday.
The TNS Sofres Logica survey showed that 71 per cent of those polled said they did not have confidence in his leadership.
A total of 26 per cent however said they still trusted him, down from 28 per cent who expressed the same opinion last month.
Sarkozy's poor showing in the polls has been a major hurdle as he heads into his final two years in office, with potential challengers already angling to join the race in 2012, including IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and former Socialist finance minister took the number one spot in a ranking also released on Thursday of "people who should play an important role in the coming months and years ahead."
Strauss-Kahn has not formally said that he will run for the presidency but his name has been cited as a contender in the Socialist primaries to choose a candidate next year.
The results of the TNS Sofres Logica poll were taken from a representative sampling of 1,000 adults aged 18 and above who were questioned at their homes.
The results of the TNS Sofres Logica poll were taken from a representative sampling of 1,000 adults aged 18 and above who were questioned at their homes.