(Bloomberg) -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is finishing his first year back in office facing a Brazil even more politically polarized than it was after his election, according to a new survey. 

His approval rating remained practically stable during the year, at 56% in December from 54% in February, a poll by Quaest showed on Wednesday. But the number of Brazilians who disapprove of the leftist leader has increased to 43% from 28% during the same period.

Lula returned to power after beating his conservative predecessor Jair Bolsonaro last year in one of the narrowest victories in Brazil’s modern history. A bitter election fight, including false claims of voter fraud by the former president and his allies, left lasting scars on Latin America’s most populous nation.

Just days after the 78-year-old president’s inauguration, radical Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia, contending Lula had stolen the election.

Since then, a stronger-than-expected economy and major legislative victories have helped Lula maintain popularity among his base. However, he has so far been unable to make lasting inroads with the opposition. 

Read More: Brazil’s Economy Shows Resilience With Unexpected Growth

Even the apparent stability in the government’s approval ratings shouldn’t be cause for celebration, cautioned Felipe Nunes, the director of Quaest. 

“While the majority who approve of the government considers it only good, those who disapprove of it consider it terrible,” he wrote on social media. “Disapproval looks like hatred, approval doesn’t look like passion.” 

Among respondents, 47% evaluated Lula’s government as “terrible” while 20% said it was “bad,” according to the poll. As the economy is expected to slow, the next major for Lula and the ruling Workers’ Party will come in the 2024 municipal elections.

Quaest interviewed 2,012 Brazilians between December 14 and 18, and has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

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