Chile President Bachelet Approval Gains To 76% In Sept -Poll

SANTIAGO -(Dow Jones)- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet's approval rating rose to a record 76% in September, from 73% the previous month, according to an opinion poll published Wednesday by conservative polling institute Adimark GfK.

The pollster noted that no Chilean president has ever obtained such a high approval rating and that only a year ago, just 42% approved of Bachelet.

"That 76% of the population says it approves of her presidential performance is something never before seen in Chile's political history," Adimark said in its poll.

Her disapproval rating, meanwhile, fell to 16% from 19% the previous month.

Adimark attributed Bachelet's record approval rating to the perception of how she and her cabinet have handled the economic crisis and also to her "warm and spontaneous personality."

Of all the members of Bachelet's cabinet, Finance Minister Andres Velasco has the highest approval rating, at 67%. In last month's poll, Velasco obtained a 64% approval rating.

The government as a whole obtains 64% approval, up sharply from 57% in last month's poll.

In January, Chile unveiled a $4 billion fiscal stimulus package that included direct transfers to lower income families. Most of these transfers were made in March. In her annual May 21 "state of the nation" speech, Bachelet announced additional transfers to lower income families.

The stimulus package was financed with funds from one of the sovereign wealth funds where the government saved the windfall from high copper prices in recent years. Chile is the world's largest copper producer.

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