The urban approval rating of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has dropped to 67%, the lowest rating since taking office in August 2010, announced Thursday.
According to a poll held in Colombia’s five biggest cities, the country’s urban dwellers were mostly pessimistic about the future of their country. 42% of the respondents said the situation in Colombia is getting worse, against 40% who responded the country is getting better.
The sliding approval rating of Santos seems to be caused by the security situation which was considered worse than two months ago by 68%.
According to Gallup, 62% of the respondents said the situation regarding the country’s leftist guerrilla groups were getting worse, while 46% said the situation regarding drug trafficking groups were getting worse.
The Santos administration did score well when it comes to education, housing, public services and health care, but faces a ongoing negative perception of the urban dwellers’ cost of life.
Bogota residents were particularly negative. 52% of the respondents in Colombia’s capital were pessimistic about the future.
In Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, the inhabitants proved a lot more positive. 62% claimed to be optimistic about the future.
Optimism dropped from 61% to 43% in Cali after the inauguration of Mayor Rodrigo Guerrero on January 1, while in Barranquilla optimism dropped from 77% to 62%.