Poll: Brazilian President Very Popular

<a href=www.falkland-malvinas.com>Mercosur Thursday, 03 April

After three months in office, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva enjoys widespread popularity, according to a opinion poll released Wednesday.

The survey by the respected polling company Ibope found that 75 percent of respondents approve of Silva's government, while 13 percent disapprove.

Silva, a former union boss, was elected last October with 61 percent of the vote in a runoff against former Health minister Jose Serra. He took office Jan. 1.

Silva's personal rating was even higher. Fully 80 percent of people questioned said they had confidence in the president, while 16 percent said they didn't.

Still, few expect a quick turnaround for the economy, which grew just 1.5 percent last year. The survey found that 61 percent of Brazilians think inflation will rise, while 56 percent expect unemployment also will grow.

Ibope, which conducted the survey for the National Confederation of Industries, interviewed 2,000 people in 145 cities across the country and gave the margin of error as 2.2 percentage points.