(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The popularity of Peruvian president Alan García remains low but has slightly improved, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published by El Comercio. 30 per cent of respondents approve of his performance, up three points since June.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The popularity of Peruvian president Alan García remains low but has slightly improved, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published by El Comercio. 30 per cent of respondents approve of his performance, up three points since June.
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 2008, 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.
In June 2009, Simón acknowledged his failure in handling an indigenous uprising in the Amazon region in reaction to new government mining and resource-exploitation laws, and tendered his resignation. Simón was replaced by Congress president Javier Velásquez in a new cabinet shuffle.
On Jul. 20, García launched a new initiative to combat the illicit drug trade focused on following the money path, declaring, "The secret to fighting drug trafficking is to determine exactly where its fortunes are and demand in a loud voice the richest countries of the world that they fight against the drug trade, with the double standard of having all the fortunes of the drug traffickers in encrypted and hidden accounts."
The next presidential and congressional elections are scheduled for Apr. 10, 2011. García is constitutionally barred from seeking a consecutive term in office.
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Alan García’s performance as president?
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Jul. 2010
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Jun. 2010
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May 2010
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Apr. 2010
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Approve
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30%
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27%
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26%
|
27%
|
|
Disapprove
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65%
|
69%
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69%
|
67%
|
Source: Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado / El Comercio
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Peruvian adults, conducted from Jul. 13 to Jul. 16, 2010. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
