By Sam Cowie
SÃO PAULO
A new poll released Thursday shows President Dilma Rousseff disapproval rating at historic lows.
The rating that currently stands at 71 percent is even more dismal than that of ex-president Fernando Collor, which has become somewhat of a benchmark figure; following his impeachment for corruption in 1992 after being involved with an influence peddling scheme.
Just 8 percent of respondents think Rousseff is doing a "good or excellent" job. A previous survey conducted in June, showed her disapproval rating at 65 percent.
Rousseff’s unpopularity is fueled by the country’s recession with an economy expected to shrink by 1.8 percent in 2015. She is widely regarded as a poor manager and a weak politician who lacks the necessary pragmatic skills to negotiate Brazil's complex multi-party political landscape. Added to that is the involvement of her Worker’s Party’s in a corruption scheme at state-run oil giant Petrobras.
Up until June 2013 when Brazil was rocked by nationwide protests following a hike in transport fees, Rousseff enjoyed approval ratings as high as 80 percent and was widely regarded for her tough stance on corruption, having expelled several ministers after she took office in 2010.
But following a national election last October in which Rousseff beat center-right candidate Aécio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, her popularity has continued to fall. Another recent opinion poll found a majority of Brazilians support her impeachment.
The impeachment scenario is considered unlikely, however, as for any impeachment process to begin Rousseff would have to be directly connected to corruption crimes. To date, no such evidence exists to date.
Another round of nationwide protests is scheduled for Aug. 16 that will call for Rousseff’s impeachment.
