Peru President Pedro Castillo’s Approval Ratings Plummets After Inflation Riots

(GlobeAfrique) – The popularity of Peru’s leftist president is collapsing due to rising inflation which has led to massive protests, and 63% of voters think he should step down, a poll found.

President Pedro Castillo’s government was rejected by a record 76% of respondents in an Ipsos survey commissioned by America TV and published Sunday. Sixty-three percent said the president should resign rather than stay to complete his term in 2026.

Disapproval of the Peruvian congress also reached an all-time high of 79%.

Since taking office eight months ago, the former union leader has faced one crisis after another. He survived a second impeachment attempt last month, only to be confronted days later by striking truckers and farmers angry about the rising cost of fuel and fertilizers. 

As the broader population joined protests against inflation and a generally poor economy, he ordered a lockdown in Lima, the capital city, that further angered residents — 75% of Peruvians disapproved of his decision, the poll found. 

Under pressure from lawmakers, Castillo lifted the lockdown hours before it was due to end on April 5, just to watch growing and violent protests in the capital. At the end of the week, congress urged the president to resign from his post.

Asked whether congress or Castillo were doing a better job, 64% of those polled said “neither.” 

Ipsos carried out 1,205 in-person interviews on April 7, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.