MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan President's rating of approval back on its way up, poll says

“Here are those who come to say hello, [those who come] to beg and those who come to complain. And that is Uruguay,” said Lacalle Pou.

Popular support to Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou, which had been declining in the past few months, has resumed its upward trend and grew 5% since July's, a study conducted by pollsters Factum has shown.

Following a now temporary drop which can be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lacalle Pou's popularity is now at 61%, it was reported Wednesday. In July it was at 56%, which still meant that at the bottom of his performance he was still supported by more than half of Uruguay's population.

On the other hand, Lacalle's disapproval stands at 35%, a 5% fall from previous polls.

According to Factum, “approval grows with increasing age and is higher in the interior of Uruguay, as well as in the middle and upper middle classes.” 

The survey also mentioned a decrease in the widespread polarization of opinions among voters of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front - FA), the left-wing coalition which ruled Uruguay between 2005 and 2020 and which now makes up the main opposition bloc in Parliament.

Lacalle Pou's approval among FA voters stood at 21% against 12% in the previous survey, but among supporters of the currently ruling coalition of Blancos (National Party) and Colorados Party it reaches 92%.

The president had reached his peak at the end of last year, when he recorded a 66% support.

Since the previous survey, Uruguay has experienced a significant reduction in the incidence of covid-19 in the population, which allows it to remain in the yellow risk zone according to the Harvard index (average between 1 and 10 cases / day per 100,000 population).

The study was conducted from September 1 to 14 on a sample of 900 interviews and its margin of error was of ± 1.7%.

Following the release of these results, Lacalle had the chance to test the waters himself Thursday during a public appearance in Salto, where he was jeered as loudly as he was cheered.

“When I finish I will listen to all of them, I will cross and I will listen to all of them, as I do everywhere,” said Lacalle.

“Here are those who come to say hello, [those who come] to beg and those who come to complain. And that is Uruguay,” added the head of state, who still listens to opposing citizens who get to express their objections face to face.