President Of Perú Blames Approval Ratings On Mopey Peruvians

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, right, shakes hands with Peruvian President Alan Garcia before their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Nov. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je, Pool)

Peruvian President Alan García doesn't need a pollster to figure it out for him. He knows why his approval ratings are so low. Peruvians are just sad.

García tells Radioprogramas that an inbred national melancholy must be to blame for his low approval ratings at a time when the economy is booming.

García tells the radio station Saturday that "We are what we are: sad, distrustful ... We have a natural lack of trust." He says that in contrast, Brazilians "have another sort of nature, joyful and sunny."

A recent Ipsos-Apoyo poll indicated just 34 percent approve of García's presidency while 62 percent disapprove. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.

Critics attribute García's problems to the fact that economic growth has not reached the poor majority, while Brazil's boom has been spread more widely.