September 13, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - After a brief slip in his otherwise strong popularity ratings, Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has regained support, according to a poll by Gallup. 73 per cent of respondents in four cities approve of Uribe’s performance, up seven points since July.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - After a brief slip in his otherwise strong popularity ratings, Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has regained support, according to a poll by Gallup. 73 per cent of respondents in four cities approve of Uribe’s performance, up seven points since July.

Uribe has been Colombia’s president since August 2002. In the May 2006 election, he won a new four-year term with 62.2 per cent of all cast ballots. Uribe was able to run again after pro-Uribe lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Constitutional Court officially sanctioned a plan to allow immediate presidential re-election.

In July 2003, Uribe and leaders from the paramilitary United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) signed an agreement in which the latter committed to gradually demobilize its factions and cease to exist by December 2005. The controversial process was completed in mid-2006. The AUC was originally assembled to consolidate efforts against two illegal left-wing armed groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Several members of Uribe’s administration, as well as lawmakers from different pro-presidential parties, have been recently linked to investigations for their proximity to AUC-related groups. On Jul. 6, former intelligence chief Jorge Noguera—who had been appointed by Uribe—was arrested for allegedly providing right-wing death squads with sensitive information that led to killings. Fourteen other Uribe-aligned lawmakers have been arrested as well, including Mario Uribe, the president’s cousin.

On Sept. 11, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Colombia faces a new wave of massive internal displacement related to the country’s armed conflict. According to the ICRC, the number of new refugees in Colombia increased by 45,000 in 2005 and by 67,000 in 2006. Bárbara Hintermann, the ICRC’s Colombia chief, declared: "This year, if this situation continues, we will have up to 72,000 new refugees."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Álvaro Uribe’s performance as president?

	Sept. 2007	Jul. 2007	Mar. 2007
Approve	73%	66%	72%
Disapprove	20%	27%	22%

 

Source: Gallup

Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,000 Colombian adults in the cities of Bogotá, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla, conducted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.