Why is Luis Lacalle Pou the president with the best image in Latin America?

The president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, is the most valued president of Latin America, in a ranking that reveals a close relationship between the image of leaders and economic management. According to this Ipsos survey, Gabriel Boric from Chile was in second place.

The latest report “Latin America: approval of its presidents, main issues and political and economic situation” measured the opinion of 297 journalists and opinion leaders who regularly broadcast their views in the media of 12 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The survey found that each president’s assessment is closely linked to the economic management and political system of their countries.

Uruguay has the best economic rating in the region and where more respondents believe inflation will decline over the next 12 months, Ipsos noted. Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou leads the ranking of presidential consensus, with 74%, followed by the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, with 49%.

At the bottom of the ranking are the leaders of the region with the lowest score among the opinion leaders: Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela (5%), Miguel Díaz-Canel from Cuba (14%), Pedro Castillo from Peru (15%) and Alberto Fernández from Argentina (19%).

At the same time, these countries have the worst economic valuation and inflation expectations. Venezuela and Cuba are also considered authoritarian regimes.

full democracies

Uruguay (68%) and Chile (53%) are the only two countries where the majority believe there are full democracies, while only 17% think the same of Argentina and Brazil; 16% in Peru and just 11% in Bolivia.

Cuba and Venezuela close the table, where those who believe themselves to be authoritarian regimes amount to 84% and 86%, respectively.

As for the perception of the economic situation, Uruguay and Chile also lead with 80% and 56% respectively among those who consider it very good / good, followed by Colombia (54%) and Mexico (49%).

As for inflation, analysts believe it will rise in most countries over the next 12 months. Argentina (85%) leads the ranking, followed by Venezuela (72%), Peru (64%) and Chile (61%).

Inflation, employment and growth

For the opinion leaders of the region, the main challenges that Latin America will have to face in the next 18 months are related to the economy: 64% believe that the most important are economic growth and job creation, while 56% % indicates that the priority is to reduce inflation and stabilize the economy.

The fight against insecurity, crime and drug trafficking is in third place, with 49% of citations.

The survey – which was carried out between July 14 and August 8 – placed the former president of Colombia, Iván Duque, in third place, among the best rated.

Below is Guillermo Lasso, from Ecuador (38%); Luis Arce, from Bolivia (30%); Laurentino Cortizo, from Panama (27%); Andrés Manuel López Obrador, from Mexico (27%); Jair Bolsonaro, from Brazil (20%).

Ipsos also consulted for the new president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and found “a polarized opinion”. 17% said they were very favorable compared to 20% very unfavorable to the center-left president who took office on 7 August. 33% responded rather favorably and 24% rather unfavorably.

Faced with the upcoming elections in Brazil in October, “eight out of 10 opinion leaders in Latin America believe that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will win the elections, in the first or second round”.

Source: ANSA

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