Ortega Gets Poor Reviews
in Nicaragua
(Angus Reid Global
Monitor) - Nicaraguan
president Daniel Ortega
has failed to convey a
positive image to the
Central American
country’s citizens,
according to a poll by
CID-Gallup published in
La Prensa. Only 28 per
cent of respondents
think the former
Sandinista leader has
done a good or very good
job leading the country,
up two points since
June.
Conversely, 38 per cent
of respondents think the
president has performed
badly or very badly. In
addition, 63 per cent of
respondents think
Nicaragua is heading in
the wrong direction.
In November 2006, Ortega
- a member of the
Sandinista National
Liberation Front (FSLN)
- won the presidential
election with 37.99 per
cent of all cast
ballots. Presidential
candidates in Nicaragua
are not compelled to
garner more than 50 per
cent of the vote in
order to win the
election.
Ortega governed from
1985 to 1990, but was a
losing candidate in the
1990, 1996 and 2001
ballots. In January, he
was sworn in for a
five-year term.
On Oct. 25, Humberto
Arbulú - he resident
representative of the
International Monetary
Fund (IMF) in Nicaragua
- referred to Ortega’s
economic policy and
stated that the
president usually says
one thing to appeal to
his supporters while his
administration
implements measures that
are different to what he
preaches. Arbulú
declared: ‘‘The
president of Nicaragua
has the right to say
what he wants, but he
knows that he can’t do
everything he says.
(...) The private sector
knows when the message
is for them and when
it’s not. They heard his
speech in the plaza, but
they also see the
agreement with the IMF."
Polling Data
How do you rate Daniel
Ortega’s performance as
president?
| |
Oct. 2007 |
Jun. 2007 |
|
Good / Very Good |
28% |
26% |
|
Average |
34% |
38% |
|
Bad / Very Bad |
38% |
36% |
| |
|
|
Would you say Nicaragua
is heading in the right
direction, or the wrong
direction?
|
Right direction |
25% |
|
Wrong direction |
63% |
|
No opinion |
12% |
Source: CID-Gallup / La
Prensa
Methodology: Telephone
interviews with 1,252
Nicaraguan adults,
conducted from Oct. 5 to
Oct. 12, 2007. Margin of
error is 2.8 per cent.
|
