(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Bolivian president Evo Morales is successfully maintaining a strong level of public support, according to a poll by Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado published in La Razón. 59 per cent of respondents approve of the president’s performance, up two points since June.

Morales—an indigenous leader and former coca-leaf farmer—won the December 2005 presidential election as the candidate for the Movement to Socialism (MAS), with 53.7 per cent of the vote. He officially took over as Bolivia’s head of state in January 2006.

Morales’s tenure has been focused on "re-founding" Bolivia through a new constitution. In November 2007, a draft constitution was approved with the support of all pro-government National Constituent Assembly members. Opposition parties boycotted the vote. The proposed draft includes articles that allow for consecutive presidential re-election, the creation of 36 autonomous indigenous communities, and tighter government controls over private media outlets. The new charter has yet to be ratified in a national referendum.

This year, the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija—all led by politicians opposed to Morales—have held votes in an effort to increase their autonomy within Bolivia, directly defying articles in the new constitution. In response to the non-binding referendums, Morales enacted a law that scheduled a recall vote on himself, Bolivian vice-president Álvaro García Linera, and the country’s nine governors or "departmental prefects" for Aug. 10.

On Aug. 10, Morales was ratified by more than 60 per cent of participating voters. In order to recall the incumbent president and vice-president, the proportion of valid votes against the ticket had to be higher than the 53.7 per cent they garnered in the 2006 presidential election.

On Aug. 11, Morales called for unity, saying, "We need to seek a consensus among all sectors (...) and seek accords that benefit people who have been exploited and mistreated."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Evo Morales’ performance as president?

Source: Ipsos, Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado / La Razón
Methodology: Interviews with 1,002 Bolivian adults in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, conducted from Jul. 19 to Jul. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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