Chile President’s Disapproval Rating Reaches 50% in First Month
Chile President’s Disapproval Rating Reaches 50% in First Month
(Bloomberg) -- Chileans are quickly souring on their new president and his embrace of a new constitution, with polls showing that roughly half of the people surveyed disapprove of the young leader after just his first month in office.
Disapproval of President Gabriel Boric rose to 57%, up more than 10 percentage points since mid-March when he took office, according to a survey by Santiago-based pollster Activa published on Sunday. His approval rating fell 6.2 percentage points to 28%, the poll showed.
Another survey by marketing consultancy Cadem showed the president’s disapproval rating rising 9 percentage points over one week to 50%. The data showed that the 36-year-old Boric, who took office on March 11 with lofty plans to create a more egalitarian and environmentally-friendly nation, has seen his popularity collapse more rapidly than his predecessors.
Boric is backing a convention to redraw the country’s constitution that is fueling political uncertainty while economic growth slows and inflation runs hot. The Constitutional Convention, which has until July to produce a draft, has drawn criticism over radical proposals on topics including property rights and the environment.
The Activa poll showed 37% would reject a new charter, while 32% would vote to approve it and 31% were undecided. Activa polled 1,326 people online between April 11-14, with a 2.7% margin of error. Cadem called 702 people from April 12-14, with a 3.7% margin of error.
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