French President Emmanuel Macron Credit: Reuters/Alain JocardParis: French President Emmanuel Macron‘s popularity rose above 50% for the first time since he was elected in May, with people approving of the way he defends the country’s interests abroad, a poll showed on Tuesday.The poll, conducted by IFOP-Fiducial (IFOP) for Paris Match magazine, saw the head of state’s popularity jump 6% compared to when the same survey was conducted in November.It comes after Macron undertook a three-day tour to Africa promising a break from the past. During the trip, he was praised for his direct approach with students at a university in Burkina Faso.“The French appreciate his way of making contact with people and to speak openly even if he didn’t announce anything,” said IFOP’s deputy chief Frederic Dabi.73% of the 978 people surveyed said Macron defended the country’s interests well, a 5% rise from November.The jump in popularity also comes at a time when the French right is more fractured than at almost any point in the modern-day Fifth Republic, leaving opposition to Macron negligible.On the negative side, 57%of people said they believed that Macron was not in tune with the concerns of the French.The poll, carried out between December 1-2 said that some 42% of people saw the far-left Insoumise Party as the main opposition to Macron, compared to just 22% for the conservative The Republicans and 21% for the far-right National Front.