Bukele, Sheinbaum Top LatAm Approval Poll. Milei Slides

Nayib Bukele remains the most popular president in Latin America. The Salvadoran leader tops the latest CB Consultora Opinión Pública poll with 72.6% approval and just 24.8% disapproval, a position he has held for months on the back of his security-first governance model that turned one of the hemisphere’s most dangerous countries into one of its safest.

Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum comes second at 68.5% approval and 29.9% disapproval, reflecting solid early support as she navigates a complex trade relationship with Washington and continues the social spending programs that defined her predecessor’s legacy. The surprise is third place: Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, who after 19 years in power still commands 62.1% approval despite ruling one of the hemisphere’s most closed political systems.

Milei and Lula lose momentum

Both Javier Milei and Lula da Silva led the same poll in December. By February, both had slipped. Lula sits at 49.2% approval against 47.5% disapproval — still above water but with a rising negative trend. Milei has crossed into net-negative territory: 46.8% approval versus 51.7% disapproval, placing him eighth out of 18.

The Dominican Republic’s Luis Abinader holds fourth place at 54.8%, followed by Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves at 53.2% and Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz at 48.8%.

The bottom of the table

Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president on January 5 after the U.S. military capture of Nicolás Maduro, ranks last with 23.7% approval and 72.7% disapproval. Panama’s José Raúl Mulino is second-to-last at 31.6%, followed by Peru’s José Jerí — who was himself ousted on February 17 — at 32.8%.

Colombia’s Gustavo Petro (38.3%), Ecuador‘s Daniel Noboa (36.8%) and Guatemala’s Bernardo Arévalo (34.9%) all sit deep in negative territory. Honduras’ new president Nasry Asfura, inaugurated January 27, debuts at 43.4%. Chile’s Gabriel Boric at 43.2%, Paraguay’s Santiago Peña at 42.9% and Uruguay’s Yamandú Orsi at 40.7% round out the lower half.

The poll surveyed 22,487 people across 18 countries between February 10-15, with samples of 2,004 to 2,630 per country, a 95% confidence level, and a margin of error of ±1.9 to 2.2 percentage points per country. The next edition will test whether Milei’s slide is a blip or the start of a deeper erosion as his austerity program bites harder. This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Latin American affairs and financial news.

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