This archive report was first published on 16 May 2020.
India's Modi Sees Approval Ratings Soar Amid Pandemic ¶
Published on May 16, 2020
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approval ratings have reached 80-90% as the country weathers the coronavirus pandemic, a significant increase from the challenges he faced before the outbreak.
Analysts attribute Modi's success to his ability to mobilize the nation without being seen as a despot, which has helped him implement a nationwide stay-at-home lockdown with relative ease.
However, the government has faced criticism for its handling of migrant workers, who were left stranded and forced to make desperate journeys back to their homes.
Modi's government has also been accused of not doing enough to address the economic impact of the pandemic, with a $260 billion relief package being seen as insufficient by many economists.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a $3 trillion coronavirus aid package has been passed, providing nearly $1 trillion in aid to states, cities, and Native American tribes.
However, the package has been criticized for including provisions unrelated to the pandemic, and some moderate Democrats have rejected it as a costly overreach.
Elsewhere, Britain's government has been praised for exceeding its target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests, but leaked documents have revealed the strain this has placed on public laboratories and exposed other problems that are now slowing efforts to expand testing.
China has hit back at American criticism of its handling of the pandemic with a vitriolic response, plunging relations between the two countries to a nadir.
Finally, several countries that have handled the pandemic well are led by women, offering valuable lessons about crisis management and the importance of inclusive political institutions and values.
