Venezuela: Chavez Popularity Unchanged According To Poll

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez's approval ratings remain in the 50 percent range, but a majority of Venezuelans disapprove of the government's performance on key issues such as crime, corruption and the economy, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The survey by the Caracas-based polling firm Datanalisis said Chavez's popularity stood at about 49 percent in late July, similar to his 50 percent rating the previous month. The poll consulted 1,300 Venezuelans and had a margin of error of nearly three percentage points.

Chavez has scaled back his televised appearances recently while undergoing cancer treatment. He had a tumor removed from his pelvic region in June and says chemotherapy aims to prevent any reappearance of cancerous cells.

The 57-year-old president's popularity hasn't been affected by his illness, said Luis Vicente Leon, president of Datanalisis.

Leon said, however, that for the first time in the monthly poll, Venezuelans evaluated the government's performance negatively in a majority of areas.

"That could have to do with the fact that Chavez isn't as present as he was before, and so people may perceive that the country is a bit paralyzed," Leon told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The monthly survey asked Venezuelans' views about the government's performance in 14 areas. While nearly 53 percent evaluated the government's social programs for the poor positively, for other areas those disapproving outnumbered those with favorable views.

A large majority were dissatisfied with the government's performance in areas including jobs, housing, "your economic situation," "personal security," and "ending corruption."

Chavez, who has been in office since 1999, plans to run for re-election in late 2012.

The survey said nearly 33 percent of those polled said they would vote for an opposition candidate if the presidential election were held immediately, while 31 percent would support Chavez. Others said they didn't know, didn't answer or wouldn't vote for any candidate.

Chavez said Wednesday that he expects his cancer treatment to conclude later this year.

"I should be finishing this whole process at the end of October, November," Chavez said, addressing a televised rally of supporters by telephone.

As for next year's election, he said, "we're going to give the counterrevolutionary opposition a beautiful knockout."

Comments

[BlackRabbit]

08:37 PM on 09/09/2011

"The 57-year-old president's popularity hasn't been affected by his illness, said Luis Vicente Leon, president of Datanalisis."

Fat chance. Chavez almost certainly got a boost in popularity due to sympathy over his illness.

[keezze]

02:46 AM on 09/08/2011

The Venezuelans really are so beat down they can never rise. Like the Cubans they just dont have it in them to put a arab spring like protest together. And unlike islamic youth cental americans are iseolated. Their south american and other central americans dont feel connected to them, without the feeling of suport and numbers they stay parilized. Their only hope is death to their leaders and maybe then they will find backbone.

[huffrex]

12:44 AM on 09/08/2011

Americans listen up, Chavez is popular because he put the poor on the map and has lifted them up like no other since Simon Bolivar. The rich in Venezuela are like the rich here in America, they don't care about the poor and want to hord big profits for themselves. The attempted overthrow of Chavez in 2002 with Bush/Cheney backing failed big time and shows that Latin people are tired of the over 500 years of exploitation and by so-called U.S.business interests which is code for "screwing the poor." Come on now folks you know how arrogantly we have treated other thrid world countries and that has consequences. Just look at our economy breaking apart from stupid corporate wars for the rich mans profit while the economy tanks. The criminals are not out there.......

[June25]

01:12 AM on 09/08/2011

And the press is free to write good things about Chavez.

[donran42]

09:16 AM on 09/08/2011

You should have stayed in school so you could get a decent job. A. 500 years ago the U.S. didn't exist. B. "Latin American wasn't Latin" C. 'Latins' were in Spain & Spain was a major world player and exploiter. Now, look at any 'poor' nation on earth. They leaders live in luxuary while their poor remain poor. They give them just enough to keep them from rebelling but not enough to improve their lot in life. The U.S. for all it's faults has done more for 'poor' nations than the rest of the world combined.

[MIKEinNYC]

12:09 AM on 09/08/2011

I guess the distinction between this chemo-sabe and the dictators he consorts with, like Kadafi, (or however you spell it), and the bums who run Iran, is that Chavez is actually elected and CAN be gotten rid of.

[rda1911a1]

10:57 PM on 09/07/2011

Hopefully Chavez will soon end up like his bro kaddaffi.

[americaisracist]

10:18 PM on 09/07/2011

Chavez = truth speaker. I like Chavez for that. Same with Putin.

[Maxedaddy]

07:20 PM on 09/07/2011

Chavez is crazy. But he loves his people and will try to help the poor find equality.

[jessdog]

06:10 PM on 09/07/2011

If Chavez is such a brutal dictator like they say he is why is he allowing surveys to be taken inside of his country and why hasnt he arrested the 33 percent that aint gonna vote for him?

[Professor XXX]

10:03 PM on 09/07/2011

Why don't you go down there and find out yourself?

[americaisracist]

10:17 PM on 09/07/2011

All Western media lies and a world of illusion they place their citizenry under.

[donran42]

09:18 AM on 09/08/2011

So why are you still here?