Six months in, French President Francois Hollande defends tenure

President Francois Hollande

Six months after sweeping to power on an anti-austerity wave, polls say Socialist President Francois Hollande is increasingly disliked. Leftists are disappointed he's not spending more state money to create jobs. Critics on the right say he's raising too many taxes.

Hollande defended his presidency and answered critics Tuesday with what's becoming his signature message: "Recovery takes time." Fixing a zero-growth economy and 10 percent unemployment doesn't happen overnight, he said at the first big news conference of his term.

Hollande staked out bolder ground on foreign policy. He defended Greece and minimized differences with Germany over fixing Europe's economy. He warned that terrorists in northern Mali have become the biggest threat to France's national security.

But France's economy is Hollande's biggest challenge. He admitted cuts are needed in France's vast and costly public sector, which amounts to more than half of gross domestic product.  "We should be capable of doing better in spending less," he said. "We have to show -- France more than others, and more than Germany -- seriousness and competitiveness."

To leftist voters who blame banks for Europe's financial woes, he promised a draft law by the end of the year to split banks' retail activities from their riskier investment activities.

Three polls released Tuesday show approval ratings for Hollande stood between 41 percent and 44 percent.

Six months in, French President Francois Hollande defends tenure - The Reporte