MEXICO CITY – President Enrique Peña Nieto’s approval rating has fallen to a record low, according to a poll published in one of Mexico‘s leading newspapers on Wednesday, pummeled for his failure to combat corruption scandals.
The president’s approval in the poll for daily newspaper Reforma fell to 30 percent, compared to 39 percent in December, while 66 percent of respondents say they disapprove of Pena Nieto’s job performance.
Both figures mark a historic low for any Mexican president going back at least two decades in a Reforma poll, the newspaper said.
Pena Nieto’s support has been mainly driven down by public disapproval over corruption and his handling of efforts to combat poverty and lift the economy, the poll said. Pena Nieto, his wife and his finance minister have all been accused of conflicts of interest centering on properties.
The poll surveyed 1,200 adult Mexicans between April 7-10, and has a margin of error of less than 3.8 percent.
Local pollster BGC has given Pena Nieto an even lower approval rating — 21 percent in February, which was its own lowest reading for him.
Pena Nieto became president in December 2012 and under Mexican term limits will step down after his six-year term.
DAVID ALIRE GARCÍA