Politics: Peña’s Ratings Tank as Distrust Grows

MEXICO - Report 15 Sep 2015 by Guillermo Valdes and Esteban Manteca

As it approaches the midway point in its six-year term of office, the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto faces its lowest approval ratings to date. The economy’s sluggish performance, growing perceptions of official corruption and the public’s sense that conditions of public security are worsening, especially in the wake of the prison break of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, have pulled the president’s approval to a mere 36%.

One year since the crisis of confidence was unleashed by Ayotzinapa and the “white house” scandal, the public is increasingly angry and fearful about the direction of the country, with only a greatly reduced segment of the citizenry expressing a sense of optimism, according to the most recent GEA-ISA quarterly poll of registered voters.

When asked their feelings toward the government of President Peña, and the president himself, those polled conveyed similarly negative sentiments. The largest bloc of respondents (40%) chose “concern” followed by “anger”(17%); only a third said they feel hopeful and a mere 8% chose “pride”.

Even though more than half of GEA-ISA poll respondents expressed higher levels of ambivalence in their degree of trust in Peña Nieto’s two predecessors in office (Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón), President Peña scores much higher levels of outright distrust and received only about half the percentage of respondents who expressed a great deal of trust than his predecessors at this same stage in their respective administrations.

Incredulity is another feeling widely associated with the performance in office of the president. Four out of every 10 citizens said that they do not believe anything Enrique Peña says, and only 8% said they believe in him “a great deal”. In the last three months the percentage responding “not at all” has risen seven points.

Close to half of the population were aware that the Ministry of Public Service had concluded its investigation of allegations of conflicts of interest by clearing the wife of the president, President Peña, and his minister of finance of any wrong doing. Of those who knew about those findings, the vast majority said they disagreed with them.

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