Mexican president faces plunging approval ratings

Latin America

mexico

According to the latest opinion polls, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is not a popular leader.

They show the president’s popularity plummeting. These poll numbers come in the wake of a weak peso, as well as diplomatic tensions with the United States.

CGTN’s Martin Markovits reports.

Follow Martin Markovits on Twitter @MartinMarkovits

President Pena Nieto has become one of Mexico’s most unpopular presidents. Since his election in 2012, he has been hit by what he called a series of “unfortunate events,” but most Mexicans have placed the blame squarely on him.

Pena Nieto’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-Mexican policies was viewed by many as weak. The mass disappearance of 43 college students in 2014 sparked national outrage. In addition, a series of corruption scandals have taken a toll on the Mexican president, who was once considered a reformer.

Just four years ago, more than 50 percent of the country supported the newly-elected president. He was able to pass reforms that restructured the country’s oil and education sectors. He also oversaw the recapture of the notorious drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.

But according to a leading Mexican polling company, Pena Nieto’s popularity has now fallen to 17 percent. A recent jump in gas prices and the crumbling exchange rate of the peso,  which has lost 20 percent of its value, are driving the president’s numbers to record lows.

Despite their disenchantment, Mexicans are doing what they can to deal with Pena Nieto, whose six-year term ends next year. The next presidential election for Mexico will be in July 2018.