LatAm presidential approval ratings: The good, the bad and the ugly

While not all is rosy in the garden for Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera, the results of a recent survey may boost his spirits.

The survey, by polling firm Ipsos, found that the center-right billionaire politician (pictured) has the highest presidential approval rating, of 68%, in Latin America.

Piñera, struggling to propel several key bills relating to taxes and pensions through congress and overseeing an economy that is performing below expectations, saw his rating dip from 71% in March 2018. That month Piñera took office with high approval ratings after spurring optimism among voters. While Piñera still has another two years to fully execute his plans, voters are watching and the clock is ticking.

In the survey – of 403 opinion leaders and journalists – Uruguay’s center-left President Tabaré Vázquez is ranked second, with 65%.

Along with Chile, Uruguay is among the most stable countries in Latin America.

Uruguayans head to the polls in October to elect a new president. The Frente Amplio coalition of Vázquez, which has been in power since 2005, enjoyed a pre-election boost recently with the news that pulp company UPM would invest more than US$3bn in the country. 

The UPM announcement comes as Uruguay struggles with fiscal and economic pressures. Crime is also an issue.

Vázquez’s approval rating was 75% in November 2018.

Rounding off the top three is Colombia’s center-right President Iván Duque, with 53%.

Mexico’s leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was given an approval rating of 44%.

Around the mid-table mark is Argentina. Embattled President Mauricio Macri reached an approval rating of 50% in the online survey, conducted from 27 June to 24 July.

In March 2018, just prior to the currency crisis which knocked the fragile economy into a tailspin that contributed to Macri’s heavy defeat in this month’s primaries, the center-right politician secured an approval rating of 72%.

The far-right leader of neighbor Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, fared worse, however. Bolsonaro – helming an underperforming economy and trying to overhaul the country’s pension system – achieved 29%, up from 25% in November 2018, shortly after he was voted into office.

Ipsos ranked 11 leaders.

APPROVAL RATINGS

No. 1 - Chile

President Sebastián Piñera: 68% (64% in November 2018)

No. 2 - Uruguay

President Tabaré Vázquez: 65% (75%)

No. 3 - Colombia

President Iván Duque: 53% (57%)

No. 4 - Peru

President Martín Vizcarra: 51% (59%)

No. 5 - Ecuador

President Lenín Moreno: 51% (59%)

No. 6 - Argentina

President Mauricio Macri: 50% (48%)

No. 7 - Mexico

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador: 44% (60%)

No. 8 - Bolivia

President Evo Morales: 36% (31%)

No. 9 - Brazil

President Jair Bolsonaro: 29% (25%)

No. 10 - Cuba

President Miguel Díaz-Canel: 18% (24%)

No. 11 - Venezuela

President Nicolás Maduro: 3% (3%)