MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Kirchner's positive image at its lowest since May 2003

According last opinion poll Kirchner image lost 22% in a year

Just six weeks from October 28 presidential and Congressional elections Argentine president Nestor Kirchner is not enjoying his best stand with the electorate, according to a public opinion poll published Saturday in the Buenos Aires press.

The poll from Poliarquía Consultores and done in the first week of September shows that the positive image of President Kirchner is 48%, the lowest since he took office in May 2003. Actually in the last twelve months his positive image plunged 19 points. The slide continued in the last thirty days with the loss of a full percentage point. The poll also revealed that 19% of interviews showed a negative image of President Kirchner, 32% moderately support him and 48% have a positive image. Only six months ago Kirchner's positive image was in the range of 60% and a year ago 70%. In June 2003, his highest, it was above 80%. Among those supporting the president 51% are young; 52% have basic primary and secondary education and 50% reside outside of Buenos Aires City. Poliarquía included 800 telephone interviews, between September 3 and 10, in the City of Buenos Aires, metropolitan Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario and Tucuman to elaborate the poll. Those interviewed were over 18 from both genders. But this is not the only opinion poll to show erosion in support for President Kirchner and his administration. The latest monthly Government Confidence Index, ICG, from the Torcuato Di Tella University which measures public opinion support for the administration's performance, in August recorded the lowest level since February 2004. In a scale going from 0 to 5, the confidence index stood at 1.86 points, which is 7% less than in July (2 points), accumulating in just twelve months a record 23% overall slide. According to the ICG index President Kirchner's strongest support was during the first months of his administration: in June 2003 it was 3.14 points; in July 2003 it climbed to 3.26 and in February 2004, even further to 3.32. Since then it never managed to surpass the 3 points benchmark. The ICG index, started in 2002, is based on telephone interviews in Argentina's six main populated centers, Buenos Aires City, metropolitan Buenos Aires, metropolitan Cordoba, Rosario, metropolitan Mendoza and metropolitan Tucuman. The interview has five basic issues: a general assessment of the administration's performance, followed by four main perceptions: if officials care for the general interest; efficiency in government expenditure; if officials are honest and if they have the capacity to address and solve the country's problems. In the latest ICG index the item which again showed the highest confidence was the government's capacity to solve the country's problems, 52% (4% less than in July) or the belief that they are solving them or know how to do it. Second came transparency, 45% (same percentage as in July) believe that the majority of government officials are honest. This is followed by the overall image of the Kirchner administration, 35% positive image, but 7 percentage points less than in July. Finally only 29% believe the government is efficient in the management of resources and government expenditure and only 25% of interviews are convinced that the Kirchner administration is ruling for the general interest.