Politics: Public bullish yet skeptical on AMLO
The results of the most recent quarterly survey on governance in Mexico by GEA-ISA reaffirm the extent to which President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador continues to enjoy considerable social support, and just how optimistic many voters are about how his administration will perform in general.
Such a general feeling of hope is hardly remarkable as it is typical of the months immediately preceding any change of presidential administration in Mexico, and neither was it surprising that between a fourth and a third of voters remained troubled at the prospect of a government presided over by AMLO.
In keeping with his historical margin of victory, López Obrador will take office with a much larger share of the electorate thinking he will do a good job in office (67%, 14 percentage points more than he received in the elections) than the 40% to 52% readings his three predecessors enjoyed, and with his overall approval levels straddling the 60% mark.
But perhaps to the president-elect’s initial advantage, those surveyed were considerably more guarded in their expectations as to how well AMLO will deliver on key campaign promises, with those saying they expect improvements in fighting corruption, strengthening the economy, and public security ranging from 28% to 41%. Even on his signature proposal to put an end to corruption, 43% said they expect there will be about as much graft and malfeasance when López Obrador leaves office six years from now as there is at present, 17% expect even more, and a mere 28% were confident he would make significant progress in that regard.
Only a third of those polled think the economy will improve in the next six years, and optimism is only slightly higher in the case of public security. And only about a third of the population – AMLO’s core fan base – anticipate important progress in alleviating poverty, creating jobs and improving health care.
But despite his general popularity, the roughly 60% of the population that gives AMLO 12-24 months to start to fulfilling his promises is in line with the same grace period voters granted in the run-up to the Fox, Calderón and Peña Nieto administrations.
Now read on...
Register to sample a report