Polls & Research

García’s Popularity Remains Low in Peru

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Peruvian president Alan García has failed to completely recover from a popularity drop, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in El Comercio. 22 per cent of respondents approve of Garcia’s performance, up three points since September.

In June 2006, García—a member of the American Revolutionary People’s Alliance (APRA)—won Peru’s presidential election in a run-off against nationalist Ollanta Humala of the Union for Peru (UP). In July, García officially took over as president. He had previously served as Peru’s head of state from 1985 to 1990, when he oversaw a major economic crisis.

On Oct. 10, García accepted the resignation of his entire cabinet following allegations of corruption. The problems originated after the release of audio tapes where oil company executive Alberto Quimper and APRA member Rómulo León apparently discuss a kickback they are going to receive if certain oil concessions are awarded to Norwegian firm Discover Petroleum International. Leftist politician and Lambayeque Region president Yehude Simón took over as Peru’s new prime minister.

On Oct. 29, five different demonstrations were registered across the country. People in different regions were protesting against mining-revenue laws and demanding more infrastructure projects, among other things. Simón—who was reportedly appointed prime minister to persuade frequent protesters to refrain from taking to the streets—expressed his frustration, saying, "If they want to talk, they can come to talk. We aren’t closing any democratic space."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Alan García’s performance as president?

	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008	Aug. 2008
Approve	22%	19%	22%
Disapprove	75%	78%	75%

Source: Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado / El Comercio
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Peruvian adults, conducted from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.