Weekly Report - 24 February 2011 (WR-11-08)

President Ricardo Martinelli's popularity is in freefall. A recent reform by his pro-business government to the 1963 mining code, opening it up to foreign government investment, has triggered unrest on a scale comparable with that sparked by his misjudged attempt at weakening trade union and environmental legislation (the so-called Ley Chorizo), last July. Martinelli was forced to backtrack and repeal the law then, and he is once again on shaky territory, offering hasty reassurances which have yet to convince.