MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cristina among the three worst rated presidents

Ptes. Bush, CFK, Ortega

Six months into office Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner honeymoon with the electorate is over and under. Her standing is also at the bottom rock of a list of Latinamerican and US leaders according to the latest public opinion poll from the renowned Mexican consulting firm Mitofsky.

The Argentine press has published a continental ranking where Mrs. Kirchner figures third from the bottom up, with only Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and Paraguay's outgoing president Nicanor Duarte below her: more precisely she ranks fourteenth out of 16. Mitofsky has President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner with a positive image of 26%, although the latest Argentine polls coincide that reference is now below 20%. Above her in position 13 is United States President George Bush bogged in the Iraq war and the mortgage market collapse. With only 200 days left in office only 30% of US citizens believe Mr. Bush has done a good job as president. At the height of his support following the 9/11 attacks, he was just scraping almost 90%. Similarly to last year Colombia' Alvaro Uribe who has adopted a strong hand approach to the guerrilla challenge, figures top of the list with 84% public opinion support. This in spite the fact some of President Uribe's actions have been questioned internationally and his administration's human rights record has impeded, so far, the US Congress approval of a free trade agreement. Runner up is Mexico's Felipe Calderon, although quite distant, 61%, followed by El Salvador's Antonio Saca and Brazil's charismatic Lula da Silva and Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, with 55% support. If the Morales 55% support is confirmed he's bound to win the coming August 10 recall referendum when his post and that of the vice president and nine provincial governors will be on the line. Morales needs 48% of support vote. The Mitofsky ranking was started three years ago and has become a valuable asset for the evaluation and evolution of political climate in the continent.