RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – A poll published yesterday in Brazil gave a mild boost to the political survival prospects for President Dilma Rousseff, as she saw a slight bounce in her approval ratings, halting what has been an almost continuous slide for most of the year.
The number of Brazilians who rated Rousseff’s administration “bad” or “very bad” fell to 65 per cent, from 71 per cent in August, according to a Datafolha poll conducted from December 16 to 17 and published by newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.
Rousseff is under pressure as Brazil is undergoing its worst recession in at least 25 years and a corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA which has led to the arrest of numerous high-profile executives and politicians.
As the president fights moves by the opposition to impeach her, the proportion of people who want her to resign or be impeached also fell. Those wanting Rousseff to resign fell to 56 per cent compared to 62 per cent in November, while 60 per cent want the president impeached, down from 65 per cent in November.
It caps off a relatively good week for Rousseff, after two rulings from the Supreme Court on Thursday improved her chances of blocking an impeachment bid by opponents seeking to oust the unpopular leftist leader.
Meanwhile, her nemesis, speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha, who is fighting accusations of corruption, saw his popularity remain near rock bottom, with 82 per cent of people polled saying he should be stripped of his mandate.
