The president of Peru and her growing unpopularity

The polls are not supporting Dina Boluarte. She has the greatest level of unpopularity in history. A transnational company’s survey has confirmed this, as the president has scored an approval rating of 6% against 89% disapproval.

Thus it was shown by the director of Ipsos-Peru, Guillermo Loli, who pointed out that the now-imprisoned former neoliberal president, Alejandro Toledo (2001-06), also had a single-digit approval rating, but it was for refusing to recognise the paternity of a daughter and not for his governing strategy, as is the case with Boluarte.

Loli considered it worrying for the Government that the president’s unpopularity has continued since the beginning of the year, with no possibility of improvement in sight. The survey, on a national scale, collected opinions on the situation of the crucial and critical areas of citizen security and public health and the majority considered that they had remained the same or worsened under the Boluarte government, beginning in December 2022.

For 86%, security is worse (79) or the same (7) and health, according to 95%, has worsened (53) or is the same (42).

Ipsos-Perú also asked about the president’s announcements in her message to Parliament for the 203rd anniversary of national independence, of which only 65% of those consulted approved the message, which was an increase in the minimum monthly salary of an amount pending clarification. Regarding the announcement of the name change from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Security, 65% expressed their opinion against it with 23% in support. The presidential announcement in favour of the Tía María copper strip mining project, run by the transnational company Southern, in the southern region of Arequipa, which faces strong social rejection due to the risk of contamination it entails, also did not reach a majority. It was voted against by 44% with 38% in favour.

A previous survey by the non-governmental Institute of Peruvian Studies on the Boluarte administration showed a result similar to that of Ipsos; 88% against and 6% in favour. PL