More Argentines disapprove of Macri than approve for first time: poll

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - More Argentines disapprove of President Mauricio Macri than approve for the first time since he took office more than a year ago, according to a poll by consultancy Management & Fit published in local daily Clarin Sunday. Macri's disapproval rating was 44.2 percent, compared with 40.2 percent of Argentines who approve, the poll showed, without giving the numbers from the previous survey. Macri has ushered in a raft of market-friendly reforms that have slashed subsidies defended by his leftist predecessors, but Latin America's No. 3 economy has yet to show clear signs of the recovery he promised as a candidate. Some 48 percent of Argentines think the economy will get worse in coming months, compared to 27 percent who think it will get better, the poll showed. Earlier this week the country's biggest labor union federation called for a general strike on April 6 to protest policies that it says has hurt workers and killed jobs. The main concern for Argentines is corruption, followed by crime and unemployment, the poll showed. Earlier this month Macri promised new laws to prevent conflicts of interest in his government after he faced allegations of trying to benefit companies linked to his family. The poll of 2,000 people was conducted between March 11 and 17. (Reporting By Maximilian Heath; Writing By Mitra Taj; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)