(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli has lost a significant portion of his sky-high popularity, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira released by TVN. 68.5 per cent of respondents think Martinelli’s performance has been good or very good so far, down 12.9 points since January.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli has lost a significant portion of his sky-high popularity, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira released by TVN. 68.5 per cent of respondents think Martinelli’s performance has been good or very good so far, down 12.9 points since January.
In May 2009, Panamanian voters elected a new president. Martinelli, a supermarket tycoon, won the ballot with 60.1 per cent of the vote as the candidate for the Democratic Change (CD) party, defeating Balbina Herrera of the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) and former president Guillermo Endara of the Moral Vanguard of the Homeland (VMP). In July, Martinelli was sworn in, replacing the PRD’s Martín Torrijos.
On Feb. 22, leaders of the National Front for the Defence of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso), an umbrella organization of workers’ groups, threatened to stage protests against Martinelli’s proposed fiscal reforms.
Mitchell Doens of the opposition Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) called Martinelli’s proposals—which will be debated in the legislature shortly—"unsustainable" and said he agrees with Frenadeso, adding, "Really what he [Martinelli] is working for is to favour big companies and sectors that make the most profits, especially favour the big supermarkets."
Polling Data
How would you rate the performance of Ricardo Martinelli as president?
|
|
Feb. 2010
|
Jan. 2010
|
Oct. 2009
|
|
Good / Very Good
|
68.5%
|
81.4%
|
90.7%
|
|
Bad / Very Bad
|
27.3%
|
15.6%
|
7.1%
|
Source: Dichter & Neira / TVN
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Panamanian adults, conducted from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7, 2010. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.
