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

Support for recently elected conservative leaders across Latin America is waning, according to recent polls. In Peru, President Keiko Fujimori's approval rating has plummeted from 57 percent to 40 percent since taking office in August. Her hardline Colombian counterpart, Abelardo de la Espriella, also saw his rating drop by more than three points in his first month in power.

Chile's Jose Antonio Kast, elected as the most conservative president in three decades, has seen his supporters express regret for backing him. Argentine President Javier Milei, a favorite among free-market conservatives, has hit record lows in his ratings a year before re-election. These setbacks may be attributed to unrealistic expectations and a lack of quick results, as Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at The Inter-American Dialogue think tank, pointed out.

Despite the trend, the decline in support is not necessarily a result of political ideology, Shifter cautioned. A recent AmericasBarometer survey revealed weak support for the leaders of eight US allies in the "Shield of the Americas" alliance, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, and Paraguay.

In Bolivia, voters have shown impatience with the long-ruling socialists, even ousting President Rodrigo Paz six months into his mandate due to economic crisis and fuel shortages.