Rio de Janeiro Governor Outperforms Predecessors in Approval Ratings

Ricardo Couto, currently serving as the interim governor of Rio de Janeiro, has garnered the highest approval rating among the last four elected administrations in the state, according to a recent poll by Quaest. The survey reveals that 38% of Rio de Janeiro residents approve of Couto's performance, while 20% disapprove.

This rating places Couto ahead of his immediate predecessors. For comparison, the previous governor, Cláudio Castro, had a 28% approval and 54% disapproval rate just four months after his resignation. Wilson Witzel, who preceded Castro, had 35.7% approval and 59% disapproval shortly before his removal from office.

Further back, Luiz Fernando Pezão concluded his term with a staggering 91% disapproval and only 5% approval, according to a September 2018 Ibope poll. He was arrested shortly before leaving office. Sérgio Cabral's administration, prior to his resignation in April 2014, saw 20% approval and 38% disapproval in a November 2013 Datafolha survey.

Couto assumed the governorship on an interim basis on March 24, following the resignation of Governor Castro and his deputy. As the president of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ), Couto was the designated authority to lead the state until the next election. The only governor with a better approval rating than Couto in recent history was Rosinha Garotinho, who served from 2003 to 2006 and had 41% approval.