Support slips for Latin America’s new right-wing leaders

Support for newly elected right-wing leaders in Latin America is slipping as voters express disappointment with the governments' performance. Recent polls in Peru, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina suggest that approval ratings for these leaders have dropped significantly since taking office. Peru's conservative President Keiko Fujimori's rating fell from 57% to 40%, while Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella saw a drop of more than three points in his first month in power.

Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast had a quarter of his supporters expressing regret for backing him. Argentine President Javier Milei, a conservative hero, also experienced record low ratings a year before seeking re-election. Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at The Inter-American Dialogue think tank, stated that people expected quick results from these governments, which proved impossible to achieve.

However, Shifter cautioned that the backlash has little to do with ideology and that the situation would not be any different if these governments were of a different political leaning. An AmericasBarometer survey of over 25,000 people in 21 countries found weak support for the leaders of eight US allies, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, and Paraguay.

In Bolivia, where voters recently ousted the long-ruling socialists, impatience for better governance is particularly visible. Similarly, in Peru, voters went to the polls seeking relief from an extortion epidemic and are now frustrated at the lack of results. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's approach to combating gangs, despite his iron-fisted methods, remains an exception, with an 83% approval rating for driving crime rates to historic lows.