Monday, March 09, 2009

Bachelet's changing numbers

Adimark has Michelle Bachelet's approval at 58.6 percent, the highest she has ever received. La Tercera released a poll with a lower outcome, 49 percent, which still represents an increase.

I am becoming more convinced that Bachelet's numbers were low at a time when Chilean expectations were high. People believed she would get things done, and were disappointed when her performance did not live up to it. Now, however, the global crisis has greatly reduced expectations, and so she has much less to live up to.

I would even take this one step further and argue that for the Concertación, Eduardo Frei would be the candidate of reduced expectations. Solid, well-known, and uncharismatic.

2 comments:

redwood 12:18 AM  

do you know exactly when those polls were conducted? I'd like to know if her meeting with Castro in mid-February hurt her.

Greg Weeks 6:15 AM  

Not sure about the first, but the second was taken roughly two weeks after. I've never seen any indication that Chileans care about Cuba enough to influence how they would view the president.

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