Petro Approval Rating Drops as Guerrilla Violence Roils Colombia
(Bloomberg) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro's approval rating sunk to a new low last month following a guerrilla offensive, cabinet infighting, and a spat with US leader Donald Trump.
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In February, 64% of Colombians disapproved of the way Petro is running the government, from 55% in January, according to LatAm Pulse, a survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News, which was published Friday. Of those polled, 33% said they approved, from 35% the previous month.
As Petro prepares to leave office in August 2026, his attempts to strengthen the welfare state have stalled, while his plan to achieve 'total peace' through talks with illegal armed groups has failed to quell the violence roiling the countryside. Colombia's stock market is the best performer in the Americas this year, as investors calculate that voters will back a more pro-business candidate in next year's vote.
Fear of crime and disorder jumped, the poll found. The number of Colombians who rank by 'insecurity' among the top problems facing the nation rose to 48%, from 32% in January.
An offensive by guerrillas of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, in January began the most intense bout of violence in more than a decade and displaced tens of thousands of people.
Tearful Recriminations
The most recent survey was conducted after Colombia's first ever televised cabinet meeting, which was marred by tearful recriminations and bickering, leading to widespread mockery.
Petro reshuffled his cabinet in recent weeks in a bid to get his government back on track in the time that remains to it.
Federico 'Fico' Gutierrez, the conservative mayor of Medellin, had the most positive image among the nation's main political leaders, with 54%, the poll found. Gutierrez came third in the 2022 presidential election race which Petro won.
In January, a dispute with Petro on social media over deported Colombian migrants led Trump to threaten a 25% tariff on all Colombian goods. The two countries managed to reach a deal to avoid that, averting economic catastrophe for the Andean nation.
AtlasIntel surveyed 1,807 people in Colombia between Feb. 24-27. The poll has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
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