Although President Hugo Chávez's support increased in surveys conducted in the first quarter of the year, the rise was temporary. After the positive impact of Chávez's performance during the emergency caused by heavy rains between December 2010 and January 2011, polls show a slow but steady decline in the president's popularity, which began in 2007.

According to Venezuela's pollster Datanálisis, 49 percent of Venezuelans have a positive view about Hugo Chávez's administration, while 46 percent have a negative perception of the Venezuelan president's performance.

Luis Vicente León, the director of Datanálisis, said that the approval of Chávez's administration (49 percent of respondents) is "circumstantial," and it circumstantially stood at 55 percent some weeks ago.

According to Datanálisis, 61 percent of Venezuelans think that Chávez's presidential mandate should end in 2012.
emartinez@eluniversal.com