Now I'm free, free fallin'

The latest Adimark poll for Sebastián Piñera is abysmal, with 31% approval and 60% disapproval.  Only 39% consider him credible.  In my last post I compared him to Alan García, but a look at the detailed numbers brought Richard Nixon to mind because Chileans only think he is doing a good job with foreign affairs.

This is embarrassing for a president who came to office proclaiming that as a businessman he was well positioned to achieve growth and prosperity, and that the Concertación had squandered economic opportunities.  Approval of his handling of the economy has also been plummeting (it was 64% in October 2010).

Finally, the percentage of people who identify neither with the government nor with the opposition has increased to 30%.  These ni-nis are not a new phenomenon, and have yet to coalesce into a viable third party, but show how disconnected many Chileans feel from government.