MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay's President Lacalle hits all-time high disapproval

Despite the natural erosion all governments go through, Lacalle is still held in high regard but his coalition needs to find a successor

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou has reached an all-time high disapproval rating since taking office in March of 2020, according to a study from the consulting firm Cifra released Wednesday.

Lacalle's image fell 5 percentage points while that of Montevideo Mayor Carolina Cosse of the opposition Frente Amplio (Broad Front) fell 4%, according to an Equipos Consultores.

The Cifra survey carried out by telephone between May 17 and 25 among 806 people aged 18 or over years of age by cellular and landline telephone showed Lacalle's approval dropped 5% since February, now standing at 50%, while his disapproval grew 6% to 40%.

Among those who voted for Lacalle Pou, 74% approve of his administration, 14% disapprove of it and 12% neither approve nor disapprove. But among those who did not vote for him, 79% disapprove, 6% remained neutral (or indifferent) and only 15% approved.

In short, Lacalle Pou lost 8 points among those who voted for the Multicolor coalition and 12 points among those who voted for the opposition.

According to Cifra, Lacalle Pou's approval is stronger in the countryside than in Montevideo, which is ruled by the FA. Lacalle Pou's approval also holds among middle/high and high/high-income voters, it was reported.

In March of 2020, Lacalle Pou rose to power with an approval rating of 60% and 2 months later, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it reached 66%. By February of 2022, it had fallen to 55% and yet again in May to 50%. Also in March of 2020, the President had a disapproval rating of 16%; in February it reached 34% and now it rose to 40%.

On the other hand, pollsters Equipos Consultores released a similar study on Montevideo Mayor Carolina Cosse, who is said to be Lacalle Pou's rival. A year and a half into her tenure, 44% of those polled approved of Cosse's administration, and 29% disapproved of it, while 21% have intermediate stances and 6% did not express an opinion.

Cosse fell 4 points from February's 48% but still holds has a positive balance of 15%. She reached her nadir in November of 2021 (41%), while those disapproving of her are below 30% of Montevideo's population. Among Frente Amplio voters, Cosse receives a 70% approval rating, but among Multicolor voters she faces the rejection of 58% of them.

Equipos Consultores also recalled that in previous Frente Amplio administrations of Montevideo, most mayors were evaluated positively at a similar point through their mandates.

Given the Constitutional ban on immediate reelection, the National Party (Blancos), its Colorado allies and all others making up the Multicolor alliance will need to find a candidate to face Cosse, who is most likely to run on behalf of the leftwing FA.