May 10, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Mexican president Felipe Calderón has lost public backing since the year began, according to a poll by Ipsos-Bimsa published in El Universal. 62 per cent of respondents approve of Calderón’s performance, down four points since January.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Mexican president Felipe Calderón has lost public backing since the year began, according to a poll by Ipsos-Bimsa published in El Universal. 62 per cent of respondents approve of Calderón’s performance, down four points since January.

Mexican voters chose their new president in July 2006. Official results placed Calderón of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) as the winner with 36.68 per cent of all cast ballots. Calderón—a former energy secretary—took over as Mexico’s head of state in December. During his campaign, he vowed to combat illicit drug trafficking and drug-related crime, as well as to boost Mexico’s economy.

In the early 1920s, Mexico was the world’s second-largest oil producer. In 1938, after negotiations with foreign energy companies failed, Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas effectively nationalized the Latin American country’s oil industry. Cárdenas established Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex, which to this day is the sole supplier of commercial fuels in the country.

Calderón’s administration has proposed to open part of Pemex to foreign investors in order to deal with dwindling reserves by exploring new fields. The opposition Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) opposes the idea, claiming it is a veiled attempt to initiate the privatization of Pemex.

On May 6, PRD lawmakers called for a "national debate" on the future of Pemex before lawmakers make a decision on the matter. PRD senator Pablo Gómez admitted that his party is just seeking to "slow things down" so a vote doesn’t take place until this fall. Gómez said the strategy will give the PRD "more time" to convince members of other parties that the government’s proposal must be rejected.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Felipe Calderón’s performance as president?

	Apr. 2008	Jan. 2008	Oct. 2007
Approve	62%	66%	57%
Disapprove	25%	18%	33%

Source: Ipsos-Bimsa / El Universal
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted from Apr. 18 to Apr. 22, 2008. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.