Mexico’s President Nieto’s approval rating falls to a record low

World Today

Approval ratings for Mexico’s President are in a free fall. A recent poll by El Universal, a leading daily newspaper, found that nearly two out of three Mexicans disapprove of Enrique Pena Nieto’s performance in office.

CCTV America’s Franc Contreras explains why.

Mexico’s photogenic President Enrique Pena Nieto’s approval rating have fallen to a record low for any Mexican president.

“What angers citizens most are the corruption scandals. Of all the president’s reforms, it’s not the one on energy or education, but the anti-corruption reforms which are most important for the public,” Roy Campos, one of Mexico’s best-known pollsters, said.

In 2014, investigative journalists reported a construction firm, which had received billions in government contracts, gave the president and his wife a $6 million custom-made mansion.

That same year, President Nieto’s administration was doing damage control following the disappearance of 43 students.

Then just last month, clashes in Oaxaca state between federal police and teachers protesting Nieto’s education reforms, left at least nine people dead.

Political observer Laura Carlsen said the president’s handling of the protest added to his crumbling ratings.

Low world oil prices, which have devalued the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar, are slowing down the economy even further. Analysts have also argued that Nieto’s support for same-sex marriages is also contributing to his low approval rating.

Nieto is in his fourth of his six-year term. Experts said the Mexican president’s final two years in office are going to be even more difficult, as all eyes turn toward Mexico’s 2018 presidential election.