(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The popularity of Peruvian president Alan García continues to be low despite a recent surge, according to a poll by CPI. 69.2 per cent of respondents disapprove of the president’s performance, down 8.5 points since October.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The popularity of Peruvian president Alan García continues to be low despite a recent surge, according to a poll by CPI. 69.2 per cent of respondents disapprove of the president’s performance, down 8.5 points since October.
In June 2006, García—a member of the American Revolutionary People’s Alliance (APRA)—won Peru’s presidential election in a run-off against nationalist Ollanta Humala of the Union for Peru (UP). In July, García officially took over as president. He had previously served as Peru’s head of state from 1985 to 1990, when he oversaw a major economic crisis.
In October, García accepted the resignation of his entire cabinet following allegations of corruption related to oil concessions. Leftist politician and Lambayeque Region president Yehude Simón took over as Peru’s new prime minister.
On Dec. 5, the Peruvian government filed a lawsuit against Yale University—an American Ivy League school—that seeks the return of more than 40,000 Inca artefacts to Peru. The pieces crafted by the native Andean peoples were unearthed and taken to the U.S. by scholar Hiram Bingham III between 1911 and 1915. Peru claims that Yale has kept the items illegally.
Peruvian foreign minister José Antonio García Belaunde explained the rationale for filing the lawsuit saying that the American university "never made a serious effort to negotiate" the return of the Inca artefacts.
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Alan García’s performance as president?
|
|
Nov. 2008 |
Oct. 2008 |
Aug. 2008 |
|
Approve |
23.1% |
15.0% |
20.3% |
|
Disapprove |
69.2% |
77.7% |
71.8% |
Source: CPI
Methodology: Interviews with 1,550 Peruvian adults, conducted from Nov. 23 to Nov. 28, 2008. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.
