Chile's Scandals Puts Bachelet's Popularity At Record Low

President Michelle Bachelet's popularity hit a record low in March, as government scandals shows signs of damaging her reputation, according to a survey released Wednesday.



Just 31 percent of those asked approved of Bachelet's leadership, down eight points from the previous month, the poll by market research firm Adimark GfK showed.



Since taking office last March for the second time, Bachelet's approval has fallen more than 23 points while her disapproval has risen 41 points to 61 percent. Chile's first female president had once been one of the country's most popular leaders, ending her first term in office with 84 percent support.



Adimark attributed the fall in popularity to a series of political scandals that have rocked Chile's political establishment since late last year, particularly one involving the president's son Sebastian Davalos.



Davalos is accused of using his relationship with his mother to secure a 10.5 million (6.5 billion Chilean pesos) bank loan from one of the country's richest men for a company owned by his wife Natalia Compagnon. The funds were used in a property deal that netted the company $2.3 million (2 billion pesos) in profits.



Davalos was forced to resign his position as director of the president's sociocultural program. The president denied any knowledge of the deal.



Adimark said the scandal has taken a major toll on Bachelet's public image with the number of Chileans who now distrust her outweighing the number who trust her.



Bachelet's fall, however, has not helped Chile's opposition. The popularity of the right wing Alianza coalition – formed by a union between the UDI and Renovacion Nacional parties – fell to just 16 percent, down almost 20 points from a year ago, as public prosecutors probe illegal payments from major companies to politicians, many members of the conservative UDI party.



Two leading businessmen and a former deputy minister from the previous administration are currently in jail awaiting trial on bribery charges.



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