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Mexicans Remain Supportive of Calderón
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Mexico continue to endorse the administration of Felipe Calderón, according to a poll by Consulta Mitofsky. 65.1 per cent of respondents agree with the way the president is leading the country, down 2.7 points since March.
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.
One of Calderón’s first measures was to send military personnel to northern towns severely affected by drug trafficking. More than 6,300 people have died in 2008 and 2009, many of them caught in conflicts between drug cartels. Under the so-called Merida initiative, the U.S. is giving Mexico $1.4 billion U.S. in order to combat organized crime and drug trafficking.
Yesterday, Mexican army spokesman Enrique Torres warned that drug-related violence along the U.S. border is far from over and revealed that targeted killings are actually increasing, saying, "Criminals are taking a different approach, using pistols not assault weapons and driving around in small, old cars to reach their rivals, ditching their SUVs."
Polling Data
Do you agree or disagree with the way Felipe Calderón is governing?
|
|
Apr. 2009 |
Mar. 2009 |
Feb. 2009 |
|
Agree |
65.1% |
67.8% |
66.4% |
|
Disagree |
32.8% |
29.7% |
31.6% |
Source: Consulta Mitofsky
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted from Apr. 18 to Apr. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.