(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in the United States think Venezuela and Brazil are the most prominent nations in Latin America, according to a poll by Zogby Interactive. 29 per cent of respondents say Venezuela is the most influential country in the region, while 23 per cent select Brazil.

Mexico is third on the list with 18 per cent, followed by Cuba and Argentina with three per cent each, Colombia with two per cent, and Chile with one per cent.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez—a left-leaning leader—has been in office since February 1999. In July 2000, he was elected to a six-year term with 59.5 per cent of all cast ballots. In August 2004, Chávez won a referendum on his tenure with 59 per cent of the vote. The special election was called after opposition organizations in Venezuela gathered 2.5 million signatures to force a recall ballot. In December 2006, Chávez earned a new six-year term with 62.89 per cent of the vote.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva—a member of the Worker’s Party (PT)—won the October 2002 presidential election in Brazil with 61 per cent of the vote in a run-off against Jose Serra of the Brazilian Party of Social Democracy (PSDB). In October 2006, he earned a new four-year term, defeating PSDB candidate Geraldo Alckmin with 60.8 per cent of the vote in the second round. Lula is ineligible for a third consecutive term in office.

Chávez has become a major player in Colombia’s struggle with the left-wing rebel army Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Last year, Colombian president Álvaro Uribe invited Chávez to act as a mediator in order to free hostages held by the FARC. More than 700 hundred people are currently being held in captivity by the left-wing armed group. Almost 50 of them are politicians, police and army officers that the FARC intends to use for the purposes of negotiating the release of its incarcerated members.

Chávez’s mediation ended abruptly in December, when Uribe accused him of breaching the rules of their agreement. Chávez—who claims to be able to communicate with FARC commanders—vowed to maintain his "commitment" to free the hostages. The incident has significantly strained relations between the two nations.

On Jan. 10, former Colombian vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas was freed by the FARC in Venezuela, along with former legislator Consuelo González de Perdomo. The FARC defined their liberation as "retribution" to Chávez for his mediation efforts.

On Jan. 30, Colombian Liberal Party (PLC) senator Piedad Córdoba—an ally of Chávez who has also worked as mediator between the government and the FARC to free hostages—said that the Venezuelan president is "the only person" who can succeed in bringing freedom to the hostages, but assured that Chávez "doesn’t have authority over the FARC."

Polling Data

In your opinion, which Latin American country holds the most influence in the region?

(*) Less than one per cent.

Source: Zogby Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 7,106 American adults, conducted from Jan. 18 to Jan. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 1.2 per cent.

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