Asia-Pacific News

Malaysian leader's ratings jump to 69 per cent ahead of polls

Mar 9, 2012, 12:09 GMT

Kuala Lumpur - The approval ratings of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak jumped to 69 per cent ahead of general elections expected in the next few months, according to a survey released Friday.

The Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, the most respected polling firm in the country, said Najib's approval ratings rose by 10 percentage points from August.

The survey was conducted nationwide in February among 1,022 registered voters.

The pollster said support for Najib was highest among those with low incomes who were able to benefit from a 500-ringgit (166-dollar) dole-out from the government.

'This figure comes on the back of an improving public mood over the general economy and disbursement of funding to alleviate the economic burden of low-income households,' it said in a statement.

It added that the rise in public satisfaction might also be due to widespread awareness of Najib's people-friendly initiatives and proposals to improve Malaysia's democratic credentials, such as the replacement of the Internal Security Act.

The survey firm, however noted that the rise in Najib's popularity might not translate into votes in the coming elections.

'The findings also show that as many of one-third of respondents who were inclined towards [the opposition coalition] Pakatan Rakyat reported satisfaction with the prime minister - indicating that such expression of approval may not all translate into votes for the ruling coalition,' it said.

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