MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine gov. support falls 13 points in one month

Mayority of Argentines feel that Mrs CFK administration is out of truck

Just four months in office President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has suffered a considerable loss of support and over half of Argentines feel the country is in the wrong track, according to a public opinion poll released Sunday in Buenos Aires.

According to the poll from consultants Graciela Romer, 29% of those interviewed has a positive opinion of the Kirchner administration which is suffering from the effects of two main current challenges, inflation and the farmers' conflict. However her personal standing has a 41% support which could be considered acceptable, however for Mrs. Kirchner it's a blow since only a month ago the similar rating was 54%. The latest Romer public opinion poll was surveyed before last Thursday when she sacked her Economy minister Martin Lousteau. In March 38% of those interviewed had a positive opinion of government decisions and only 17% stated a negative opinion of Mrs. Kirchner. However the latest poll shows 29% describing her performance as positive, 41% barely acceptable and 26% negative. "The image of her performance clearly indicates a descending tendency which was beginning to show last March", said Graciela Romer. She added that until March Mrs. Kirchner had strong support from the lower income brackets and the most disapproval among the highest income bracket and middle sectors were evenly distributed. "But now all has diluted and in all sectors the majority believes the country is on the wrong track". The evolution of statistical data indicates that 53% of interviews in April said the government was moving in the wrong direction (seven points more than in March) with 37% approving the course taken. As to Mrs. Kirchner's standing according to Romer, 41% is still a good political pad, with 33% half way and 24% who believe it's decisively negative. As to the issues most pressing Argentines, insecurity remains the top priority followed ever so closely by inflation, leaving unemployment in third place, indicated Romer interviewed by the Buenos Aires press Regarding the economic (bread and butter) situation, it ranks in fifth place of concerns with 27% considering the current situation as positive (two points less than in March), 47% acceptable and 25% bad. The article ends pointing out that this is the first time in months that a public opinion poll on the government's performance is published, but it also offers an answer: of the 20 leading pollster in Argentina, at least 12 have contracts with the government, and "when clients are not satisfied they tend not to release results". Nevertheless the article also points out that several pollsters interviewed said they prefer to wait for the farm conflict and consequences to be over, because of "methodology motives".