MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayans do not hold President Abdo in high regard

Paraguayans also support an agrarian reform as well as taxing the wealthiest

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez's ratings of approval have plunged significantly, according to a survey by the Latin American Strategic Center for Geopolitics (Celag), which showed 8 out 10 people had a negative image of the head of state.

Abdo's poor performance after three years in office has fallen significantly for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, analysts explained.

The survey was conducted through telephone interviews with 2,005 people from various parts of the country. Most of the participants disapproved of Abdo's management.

The study also pointed out the impact of the economic crisis on Paraguayans, since 60% of those surveyed had problems paying for housing-related expenses and 24% had no other option but to borrow to cover very basic needs.

On the other hand, 83% of Paraguayans supported a special tax on the wealthiest, a bill which was turned down last month by the House of Deputies, unlike in Argentina where it was passed into law.

Nevertheless, Paraguayans still called for a more active involvement on the part of the State.

In addition to that, 90% of those surveyed considered that Paraguay should demand from Brazil and Argentina higher revenues from hydroelectric plants.

And 80% consider it necessary to hand over uninhabited lands to peasants and indigenous people. On this point, historically peasant groups have mobilized against the laundering of ill-habited lands. Some 6,744,005 hectares of uninhabited land were awarded in total by the Agrarian Reform Institute (IRA) and by the Rural Welfare Institute (IBR), between 1954 and 1989.

Regarding transparency, 82% of Paraguayans thought vote buying was common practice in municipalities.

The National Congress matched Abdo's ratings, with 79% Paraguayans have a negative image of the Legislative branch, according to the study.

The Paraguayan case shows a deep contrast when compared a similar study in Uruguay released Wednesday, which showed that President Luis Lacalle Pou still had a rating of approval of 47%, despite a 13% fall over the past two months.