Chavez’s Approval Rating at 71.5% in IVAD Poll, Ultimas Says

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s approval rating rose a half-percentage point to 71.5 percent in November from the previous month, Ultimas Noticias reported, citing a poll by Instituto Venezolano de Analisis de Data, or IVAD.

If the election, scheduled for Oct. 7 of next year, were to take place today, Chavez would defeat Henrique Capriles Radonski, the current favorite to win an opposition primary, by 55.5 percent to 31.8 percent, the Caracas-based daily said, citing the poll.