Flood response keeps Mexico's Calderon popular
MEXICO CITY, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon's approval rating fell slightly to 64 percent from September, according to an opinion poll published on Saturday, but he won praise for his swift response to devastating floods in recent weeks.
Calderon, who has enjoyed strong ratings since taking power last December despite the fact some leftists still contest his razor-thin election win, was given a score of 6.8 out of 10 for his performance in the poll in the daily Reforma newspaper.
A Reforma poll in September said 65 percent of respondents approved of Calderon, and gave him a performance score of 6.8.
A poll last month in the daily El Universal found the president's popularity had waned by seven points to 57 percent, however, after he announced unpopular gasoline price rises.
Calderon, a conservative, is more austere than his jovial predecessor Vicente Fox but has pleased Mexicans with his tough stance on drug violence, sending out 25,000 troops and federal police to tackle drug cartels on taking office.
Saturday's survey showed 72 percent of Mexicans rated his reaction to severe flooding in southeastern Mexico as good or very good. Calderon quickly declared the floods a national disaster and traveled to the region several times to coordinate relief efforts.
The gasoline price rises will come into force next year. In Saturday's poll, 63 percent of respondents said it would hit them hard.
Saturday's survey questioned 1,530 people between Nov. 16 and 18 and has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. (Reporting by Catherine Bremer; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
