(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Ecuador remain satisfied with the leadership of Rafael Correa, according to a poll by Cedatos/Gallup. 55 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance, down two points since January.

Correa, a former finance minister, ran for president as an independent leftist under the Alliance Country (AP) banner. In November 2006, Correa defeated Álvaro Noboa of the conservative Institutional Renewal Party of National Action (PRIAN) in a run-off with 56.69 per cent of the vote. He officially took over as Ecuador’s head of state in January 2007, and vowed to change the country’s Constitution. Correa’s party nominated no candidates to the National Congress.

In April 2007, Ecuadorian citizens participated in a referendum to enact a Constituent Assembly. The president’s proposal was backed by 82 per cent of all voters. In September, Correa’s supporters—running under the Movement Country (MP) banner—secured 80 seats in the 130-member Constituent Assembly, enough to enact changes without seeking compromises with political opponents.

In November, Ecuador’s Constituent Assembly officially began its work, and suspended the National Congress. The ad-hoc legislative body has six months to finish a draft. The proposed Constitution must be ratified in a nationwide referendum. The Constituent Assembly is expected to discuss a wide variety of topics, including the possibility of consecutive presidential re-election, as well as new oil and mining regulations.

On Feb. 20, Correa extended an emergency decree to the entire country after major floods affected thousands of families. The president called in the army to help victims and allocated close to $25 million U.S. to repair the country’s infrastructure, declaring, "Our first priority is to save lives. (...) Those [funds] are sufficient, but if more is needed we have more emergency funds."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Rafael Correa’s performance as president?

Source: Cedatos/Gallup
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,432 Ecuadorian adults, conducted from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.