(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The popularity of Argentinean president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has significantly improved since the beginning of the summer, according to a poll by Poliarquía Consultores. 29 per cent of respondents have a positive opinion of Fernández de Kirchner, up nine points since June.

In October 2007, Fernández de Kirchner won the presidential election with 44.9 per cent of the vote as the candidate for the Front for Victory (FV). In December, Mrs. Kirchner succeeded her husband, Néstor Kirchner, as Argentina’s head of state. The outgoing president was praised for fostering an economic recovery after a major crisis in 2002. Fernández de Kirchner has vowed to address poverty and carry on with her husband’s fiscal policies.

In March, the current government introduced a variable tax on soybean exports, prompting an angry reaction by the country’s farmers. The levy replaced a fixed-rate tax and increased the price of soybeans. Farmers staged protests and organized roadblocks for several weeks. Grain shipments stopped completely, creating food shortages across the country. Despite a brief period of calm, the protests and organized roadblocks continued.

On Jul. 17, a Senate vote on the variable tax on grains finished in a tie. Argentinean vice-president Julio Cobos cast the tie-breaking vote, effectively killing the government bill. The crisis prompted a cabinet re-shuffle.

On Aug. 2, Fernández de Kirchner said she has no regrets for having introduced the tax bill, declaring, "If I could go back, I would do the same things I did. (...) Some Argentines say, ‘But would you do the same with the farm tax resolution?’ I would say yes."

Polling Data

Do you have a positive or negative opinion of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner?

Source: Poliarquía Consultores
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Argentine adults, conducted from Aug. 4 to Aug. 11, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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