Hollande Seen as 'Bad President' by 70% of French People

Seventy percent of French people believe outgoing Socialist leader Francois Hollande was a "bad president", according to a new poll published on Thursday.

The 62-year-old decided not to seek re-election in December, bowing to the inevitable in the face of catastrophic approval ratings that showed just four percent of the population approved of him at one point.

His five-year term has been marked by a series of terror attacks, stubbornly high unemployment and revelations about his private life that saw him photographed cheating on his partner in January 2014.

Although 70 percent of respondents told pollster Odoxo they viewed him as a bad president, the survey of 1,001 people taken at the start of April showed parts of his legacy are seen positively.

A majority (54 percent) judged his security policies and social reforms such as bringing in gay marriage favourably, but on the economy, only 16 percent approved of his approach.

France goes to the polls on April 23 for the first round of a two-stage election to choose a new leader.

Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old former protege of Hollande, is seen as the frontrunner, followed by far-right leader Marine Le Pen and scandal-hit rightwinger Francois Fillon.