Paraguayan president ends his first year with 69% of disapproval
The Paraguayan president, Mario Abdo, celebrates his first year of management with 69 percent disapproval at a time when he faces the worst political crisis of his term and a significant economic slowdown, according to a survey published on Wednesday.
The president of Paraguay Mario Abdo Benítez. EFE / Andrés Cristaldo / Archive
Reuters | Mariel Cristaldo y Daniela Desantis
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Leer en español: Presidente paraguayo termina su primer año con 69% de desaprobación
Abdo, who was elected by the conservative Colorado Party in April 2018 with 46 percent of the vote, was about to face a political trial weeks ago over a controversial energy agreement with Brazil that the opposition considered harmful to the country's interests.
After the controversy, the document was left without effect and the proposal of political judgment lost support in the Congress. However, the opposition filed an accusation and called for mobilizations to reject the Government, which keeps the political crisis latent.
According to the survey published by the newspaper Ultima Hora, 69.3 percent of the respondents described the president's management as bad or very bad, while 30.7 percent considered it good or very good. Among those consulted affiliated with the government party, the disapproval was 64.8 percent.
"We will make a double effort to regain people's confidence … to improve the quality of our management," Abdo said when asked about the survey.
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El Matutino highlighted as one of the most questioned points to the president, the "lack of leadership", noting that 53.8 percent of respondents believe that Abdo does not exercise the power that corresponds.
The survey, conducted by the local company CIES, was aimed at people over 18 and had a sample of 1,200 cases in the capital and main cities of the country.
Another survey released by the radio station from Asunción called Primero de Marzo showed that 54.9 percent of the respondents rated the Government as bad or very bad, while 32.4 percent considered it regular and 10.7 percent good.
Abdo asked on Tuesday, during a demonstration by his adherents, that the request for trial be dealt with as soon as possible to avoid instability, in a context of economic slowdown due to a fall in agricultural production and the unfavorable external environment.
