French PM fighting to win back country's trust (AFP)

PARIS (AFP) - Ten months after Nicolas Sarkozys presidency got off to a flying start, Frances love affair with its taboo-breaking young leader has drawn to a brutal end, leaving him fighting to win back the countrys trust.

After one of the brightest debuts of any French president, and poll ratings to match, the 53-year-old Sarkozys turbulent private life and a faltering economy have combined in recent months to reduce his popularity to tatters.

Sarkozys right-wing camp is now bracing for painful losses in local elections on March 9-16 which the Socialist opposition cast as a referendum on his presidency, with his approval rating at a rock-bottom 33 percent.

"There is a real falling-out of love, a real defiance and even, for part of the electorate, a kind of allergic reaction," said Frederic Dabi of the IFOP polling institute.

"Weve never seen anything like this, a head of state collapsing so fast, not because of reforms but because of his personality," agreed Dominique Reynie, professor at Sciences Po university.

Despite energetic attempts to seize back the initiative with field trips and policy announcements, Sarkozy has failed to reverse the trend.

Instead he committed a spectacular blunder last week by swearing at a man who refused to shake his hand at a farm show, calling him a "stupid bastard".

"There is no event more quintessentially French than the agriculture fair, And the president stood there in the midst of the French people, and lost his cool by insulting someone, twice," said Reynie, who believes the outburst did "irreparable" harm to Sarkozys image.

Voters who last May cast hopeful ballots for Sarkozys promise of a dynamic, youthful presidency, and bold reforms to fire up the economy and boost spending power, feel let down both in style and substance, pollsters say.

Fifty-six percent of voters think Sarkozy "badly represents" the presidency, with a personal, hands-on approach to power -- critics accuse him of running an "elective monarchy" -- and a taste for luxury that earned him the nickname "Bling-Bling president".

The presidents much-publicised divorce from his second wife Cecilia in October, his jet-setting romance and swift marriage to ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, gave voters the impression he was neglecting their needs.

With food prices soaring and consumer confidence at all-time low, the presidents admission in January that the "state coffers are empty" was the final straw for many voters, even though the government insists its economic reforms have yet to show their effect.

"He chose to put himself on the front line, and now hes the one taking the bullets," said Dabi.

In a further embarrassing blow, support for the lower-key style of government of Prime Minister Francois Fillon has soared as the presidents own popularity collapses.

The opposition has suggested Sarkozys presidency is coming apart at the seams -- but however low he falls the French president cannot be impeached, with the next presidential and parliamentary elections set for 2012.

If however, as polls suggest, Sarkozys Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) loses major cities to the opposition this month, he could face mounting pressure to change tack: to become, in Reynies words, a "normal" president.

"That means someone with advisors who stick to advising, with ministers who have real room for manoeuvre, a prime minister who does his job, and a president whom we see rarely, who focuses on strategy."

Last week Sarkozy insisted he was unfazed by his poll slump, saying it was linked to "events" in his personal life, not politics.

"My understanding of the role of head of state is not about making people like me," said the president. "For decades France did not make the choices that it should have. My job is to defend my convictions and to carry on."

In any case, wrote the pro-government newspaper Le Figaro, "It appears that Nicolas Sarkozy has to get used to the idea that he is lastingly unpopular."

"We have rarely seen such a brutal fall from grace give way to a sudden return of affection."

It may be therefore be some consolation for Sarkozy that his celebrity bride Carla Bruni, far from bringing scandal to the Elysee, has eased seamlessly into the role of first lady.

The 40-year-old model-turned-singer -- whose past boyfriends include Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton -- has ditched her rock star lifestyle for a demure new wardrobe, and set about cultivating her new image.

"The marriage went ahead, she is Mrs Sarkozy now, and so long as there is no reason for recrimination there will be no more scandals," said Reynie.