Governments around the world have gained popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, with two notable exceptions: Mexico's Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Unsurprisingly, the pair were until recently the only leaders of major nations to not take the coronavirus outbreak seriously. And with AMLO beginning to take serious action to confront the crisis, Mr. Bolsonaro is now the only G20 head of state to be actively dismissing the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, and his popularity has suffered as a result.
The Brazilian Report and Núcleo Jornalismo compiled polling data from several nations, showing that approval ratings have increased for leaders in France, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and even in Chile — where President Sebastian Piñera was the target of mass protests at the end of last year. In Brazil, however, Jair Bolsonaro is seeing his popularity dip.
