Correa’s presidential longevity and popularity unprecedented in recent years; country had nine presidents in 10 years before his election

A new poll shows that public support of President Rafael Correa remains sky high despite economic concerns following the drop in oil prices.

President Rafael Correa

According to the Credatos / Gallup polling group, Correa’s approval rating stands at 68%, the highest among all Latin American presidents.

According to Polibio Cordova of Credatos / Gallup, the numbers are “phenomenal.” Cordova points out that not a single elected president was able to complete his term in office from 1996 to 2006, when Correa was elected. “The were all overthrown by legislative action or public protest,” he says. “There were eight presidents during that period, including the interim presidents who were appointed to complete terms.”

The last elected president is a case in point. Within eight months of his election as president

President Lucio Gutiérrez in 2003

in 2003, the popular approval ratings for Lucio Gutiérerz had fallen to 15%. Although he hung onto office for another year before being run out of the country, his government was able to accomplish little.

“Correa’s is an unprecedented case because former presidents always started with high levels of support, usually above 60%,” Cordova said. “Then, within months, support dropped by more than half,” he said. In most cases, it was the lower and middle classes that became impatient after presidents failed to follow thorugh on campaign promises, Cordova said.

The Credatos / Gallup survey showed that Correa’s disapproval rating stood at 32% in early January.

The poll included 2,168 participants in 15 Ecuadorian cities and has a margin of error of five percent.