Dogged by social discontent, France's Macron to defend contested reforms

PARIS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Haunted by mounting public disenchantment, French President Emmanuel Macron will appear on TF1 television on April 12 in an attempt to reach discontent public, the private TV channel announced on Saturday.

During one-hour live interview, the head of state "will be questioned on the subjects related to the daily life of the French", and explain the reforms that public opinion is opposing, the TV channel said in a statement.

Macron's TV appearance came as a wave of strikes at SNCF rail operator, civil servants, students and Air France flag carrier have fuelled social tension and put on test his reform drive.

Earlier this week, Macron said unions' movements were "legitimate" but "should not prevent the government to govern, to continue making decisions and to do important things for millions of our fellow citizens".

In May 2017, France's youngest president in modern history won 66.1 percent of the votes on a reformist project to modernize eurozone's second leading power. Then, the rising political star vowed to serve the country well and bring change after he had shaken the country's political landscape.

Nearly one year on, he lost public support as his package of reforms he planned to inject dynamism in labor market, improve education system, or that regarding civil services had triggered street protests and massive strikes.

A recent Kantar poll showed 40 percent of respondents trust Macron to fix the country's problems, down by 3 percentage points compared to March figures. Enditem