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Caretaker Palacio Gets High Marks in Ecuador
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many Ecuadorians are satisfied with Alfredo Palacio, according to a poll by Informe Confidencial. 66 per cent of respondents in Quito—and 67 per cent of respondents in Guayaquil—rate the interim president's performance as good or very good.
Earlier this year, public protests against the government intensified after the Supreme Court threw out pending charges of corruption and mishandling of funds against former presidents Abdalá Bucaram and Gustavo Noboa. In mid-April, president Lucio Gutiérrez instituted a 24-hour state of emergency. On Apr. 20, the National Congress voted to oust the head of state and replace him with vice-president Palacio.
Palacio—a cardiologist—had previously acted as Ecuador's minister of health and is not directly affiliated with any political party. Palacio has rejected calls for an early election, saying he intends to serve the remainder of Gutiérrez's term until January 2007.
Earlier this month, economy minister Rafael Correa left cabinet after failing to secure a $100 million U.S. loan from the World Bank. In his resignation letter, Correa blamed the interim president for bowing to "foreign orders" and impeding a proposed economic and energy pact between Ecuador and Venezuela.
Palacio dismissed Correa's assertion and said he would be willing to call for the formation of a constituent assembly, adding, "If the people are massively against me, and they believe another person should be here, I would step down."
Polling Data
Quito - How would you rate the performance of the president?
Jul. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | May 2005 | |
Good / Very Good | 66% | 61% | 62% |
Bad / Very Bad | 30% | 23% | 17% |
Guayaquil - How would you rate the performance of the president?
Jul. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | May 2005 | |
Good / Very Good | 67% | 67% | 62% |
Bad / Very Bad | 30% | 16% | 15% |
Source: Informe Confidencial
Methodology: Interviews to 800 Ecuadorian adults in Quito and Guayaquil, conducted on Jul. 23, 2005. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.