MONTEVIDEO, March 13- The approval rate of Uruguayan President Jose Mujica rose to 53 percent in a latest poll, up from 50 percent in December, according to poll results announced Tuesday. The country’s leading pollster Cifra also showed the approval rate for the ruling left-wing Broad Front (FA) party had jumped from 40 percent in December to 47 percent.
“Mujica begins his fourth year in office in a slightly worse position than his predecessor in terms of his personal popularity and a lot worse compared with how the electorate viewed his administration,” Cifra said. In 2008, after three years in power, former President Tabare Vazquez gained a higher popularity level of 55 percent and his administration garnered a better rating of 56 percent, Cifra said.
Mujica, a 77-year-old former guerrilla fighter, will conclude his term in March 2015. He is barred by the constitution from running for re-election. Vazquez appears to be the favorite candidate in the October 2014 general elections, but he has yet to confirm his candidacy.
BERNAMA
