Latin americaMilei remains among the top presidents with the best image in Latin America
With a 48% approval rating, Argentina’s Javier Milei is the third president with the best image in Latin America, according to the new edition of Image of Power. Just two months before his term ends, Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador leads the ranking with 65%, followed by Uruguay’s Luis Lacalle Pou who rose to 50% in the weeks leading up to his party’s primaries.
The rest of the list includes Daniel Noboa (Ecuador) and Lula da Silva (Brazil) both at 47%. Lula regained 6 points after several months of decline; however, he faces a challenging second half of the year economically which may force a reevaluation of his social agenda. Noboa, on the other hand, dropped 35 points in the last four months; his peak in popularity was in January when a security crisis led to him declaring internal armed conflict.
Next, Gustavo Petro (Colombia) and Gabriel Boric (Chile) stabilize around 35% and 32% popular support, respectively.
Milei’s Popularity
After six months of intense negotiations, Javier Milei achieved his first victory in the Argentine Congress with the approval of the “Ley Bases” and fiscal package. No president since the return to democracy has had such a reduced legislative bloc or relied so much on agreements with various opposition sectors.
Regarding government trust, the most notable data point is the stability in popular support levels: the president has maintained his approval ratings with minimal variation. One key aspect to analyze is who can capitalize on government missteps; currently, no opposition sector seems capable of doing so. Additionally, a decline in inflation works in Milei’s favor, possibly the most influential economic indicator in voter decisions.