The urban approval rating of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos rose to 67% compared to the 66% he received two months ago while Colombians grow more pessimistic about the security situation and the fairness of elections, said pollster Gallup Thursday.
Santos’ popularity was mainly pushed by his foreign policy which received the approval of 81% of the interviewed residents of Colombia’s largest cities Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Cartagena.
Santos’ popularity is overtaken by his police chief Oscar Naranjo, who received the approval of 75% of the interviewees.
U.S. President Barack Obama may count on the approval of 70% of Colombians, Interior and Justice Minister German Vargas Lleras on 68%, former President Alvaro Uribe on 67% and vice President Angelino Garzon on 66%.
Former Senator Piedad Cordoba remains by far the least popular Colombian politician, which a disapproval of 61%. Only Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — with a disapproval rating of 81% — is less popular.
The results differ from a poll held last month by a different pollster in which Santos received the approval of 82% of Colombians in the country’s largest cities.
Santos received high disapproval ratings for his efforts to lower unemployment and his government’s security policy, which were disapproved by respectively 63% and 62% of the interviewed urban dwellers.
According to Gallup, Colombians are mostly negative about developments in security, cost of life, health care, corruption and the fight against guerrilla groups. The approval of the latter has been on a steady decline since Santos took office in August 2010. At the beginning of Santos’ presidency, 56% of the Colombians were positive on how the fight against the rebels was going, which steadily declined to 28% in June. Negativity went from 33% to 55%.
A high percentage (65%) of the interviewed Colombians are negative about the trustworthiness of Colombian election results. 56% said there are no guarantees to democratically oppose the government. An even higher percentage (80%) is against the legalization and trafficking of drugs and raising the age for workers to receive a pension (72%).
Full results of the poll (in pdf)
Presidential approval ratings since 1994
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