title: Macron's popularity improving: poll
text: PARIS (Reuters) - Fewer French voters are dissatisfied with Emmanuel Macron s performance, a poll showed on Sunday, halting a recent slide in the popularity ratings of the French president in recent months. The poll, conducted by Ifop for newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), showed Macron s  dissatisfaction rating  declining to 53 percent in September, from 57 percent in August. Some 45 percent expressed satisfaction with the centrist leader - up from 40 percent in August. The poll of 1,989 people was carried out on Sept. 15-23. Macron s approval ratings have dropped sharply in opinion polls since his election in May, dragged down by labor reforms and planned budget cuts, including a decrease in housing aid for students. The new poll comes as French far-left opposition party leader Jean-Luc Melenchon drew tens of thousands to a rally on Saturday against Macron s labor reforms, aiming to reinforce his credentials as Macron s strongest political opponent.  