Peru’s President Faces Historic Low Approval Ratings

This month, President Dina Boluarte of Peru hit a new low in her approval ratings, plunging to just 1.3%. It’s quite striking, really. Starting the year at a troubling 4%, her approval has decreased steadily by about 0.5% each month. Interestingly, women seem to support her slightly more than men, with a 1.5% approval rate compared to 1% from men.

What’s particularly noteworthy is that she struggles the most with those aged 30 to 59, where her approval dips to just 0.9%. A poll by El Centro de Advicción Reritorial Peru, which involved door-to-door interviews with 1,200 participants aged 18 to 70, claims to reflect a broad spectrum of social and economic classes.

Boluarte ascended to the presidency in December 2022, following the dismissal and subsequent arrest of her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, over accusations of rebellion. She had previously stated that she would resign if he were removed, which adds some complexity to her current position. Her background is notable; she was Peru’s first female vice president, affiliated with the Free Peru party, known for its Marxist leanings, though she has distanced herself from those roots since taking office.

Things took a dark turn shortly after she became president when violence erupted during protests aimed at her government, resulting in the deaths of ten individuals and injuries to sixty-one others. The attorney general’s office has opened an investigation into Boluarte for suspected genocide and aggravated murder, even requesting that the International Criminal Court look into the matter.