Support For Brazil's President Lula Reaches Record - Poll

Go to Original (NASDAQ) >

SAO PAULO -(Dow Jones)- A poll released over the weekend by the Datafolha polling institute showed that support for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reached an all-time high as the country's economy shows signs of recovery.

According to the survey, 73% of respondents classified Lula's administration as "excellent or good," up slightly from 72% in a similar poll published in December.

Datafolha, the polling institute of Brazil's largest newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, said the approval rating for Lula's administration is the highest since his inauguration in 2003.

A total of 20% called Lula's administration "fair," down from 21% in the December poll. A total of 5% of respondents classified the administration as " poor," down from 6% in December.

The high popularity of Lula's government is linked to the positive performance of the economy, which recovered from a recession, and government-sponsored social programs, according to analysts.

Brazil's GDP is expected to expand more than 5% this year.

Separately, the government's family assistance program has brought a small but consistent monthly income to 11 million poor families across the nation. Families receiving this assistance have become a bulwark of support for the president and his administration, according to analysts.

Datafolha interviewed 2,623 voting-age Brazilians nationwide Wednesday and Thursday. The poll's margin of error is two percentage points.