A poll among Colombia’s most prominent opinion makers revealed Thursday that President Juan Manuel Santos receives a higher approval rating than his predecessor Alvaro Uribe.
The poll, held among business, political and social leaders, showed an increase in approval of the president in almost all policies compared to 2009 when Uribe was still President and 2010 when Uribe and Santos both held the presidency for half a year.
The interviewees were mostly positive about international relations policies, which nearly doubled its score of 43 in 2010 to 83 in 2011. The fights against corruption and the level of justice were both praised, with increases of 27 and 22 respectively from 2010 to 2011.
Other policies to receive strong approval included the fight against unemployment and the decrease in poverty.
However, the 2011 survey saw a significant decline in the fight against guerrilla, dropping to 63 in 2011 compared to 80 in 2009.
The assessment of Colombia’s official institutions saw the foreign affairs, interior, and agriculture ministries rise to the top, while the now-dismantled intelligence agency DAS lied at the bottom.
In addition, the leaders pointed out corruption as the main political challenge for 2012, with unemployment and poverty being the main issues for economic and social concerns respectively.
For the panel, 1670 political, social and business leaders were polled.
