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President García Falls Sharply in Peru
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Peruvian president Alan García has lost a significant amount of public support this month, according to a poll by Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. 35 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance, down 16 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.
Since taking office, the president has pursued an "austerity" project, which included a decree to cut the salaries of Peru's mayors. García defended the measure, saying it makes little sense to have overpaid public servants in regions where most people live in extreme poverty.
On Jul. 17, a farm labourer was killed after protesters clashed with security forces in southern Peru. A series of ongoing demonstrations—led mainly by teachers and farm workers—had started twelve days earlier to object a proposed law that would have forced teachers to take competency tests. Other groups later joined the protests for different reasons, including the rejection of a free trade deal with the United States.
Peruvian education minister José Antonio Chan said the government cannot start a dialogue with the teachers until they return to their respective schools, adding, "The basic principle is that children are able to resume their lessons."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Alan García's performance as president?
Jul. 2007 | Jun. 2007 | May. 2007 | |
Approve | 35% | 51% | 51% |
Disapprove | 59% | 39% | 39% |
Source: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Peruvian adults, conducted from Jul. 6 to Jul. 8, 2007. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.