Santos approval rating at 80%

[naaman fletcher]

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/11724-poll-santos-approval-rating-at-80.html

The latest CM& Noticias poll published Tuesday places Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' approval rating at 80%, a 4% drop from results reported by the same pollster two weeks earlier.

The CM& poll differs greatly from a Gallup poll released earlier Tuesday, which places Santos' approval rating a month after he came into office at 64%.

However the CM& poll found that while Santos' approval rating was high, only 67% of respondents thought the new government represented their interests. Nonetheless, 83% of respondents said they had a "positive image" of the Colombian leader.

Santos is fairing well in terms of foreign policy, with 86% of those surveyed saying they approved of the way he was handling relations with neighbor Venezuela.

Several days after taking office Santos met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Santa Marta. The two leaders restored ties that were severed in late July by the Venezuelan leader over allegations by the administration of President Alvaro Uribe that the neighboring country was harboring guerrillas within its borders.

The CM& poll found that 77% of respondents approved of the way the Santos administration was handling the fight against the guerrilla, terrorism and paramilitaries.