By Stephan Kueffner
Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuadorean polls show more than 50 percent of likely voters plan support a new constitution promoted by President Rafael Correa, even as many people remain undecided, pollsters said.
In mock votes, 55 percent to 57 percent of voters approved the new charter, rival pollsters Polibio Cordova and Santiago Perez said in a joint interview today on Quito-based Ecuavisa television's network.
``In rural areas, the 'yes' vote has been rising tremendously,'' said Cordova, of polling agency Cedatus Gallup. Correa has previously said he estimated a victory of around 60 percent in the referendum.
Should more than half of those casting votes in this month's referendum approve, Ecuador's constitution will allow the government to control sectors of the economy including natural resources, transportation, and telecommunications, along with monetary and exchange policy. There are almost 10 million registered voters in the Andean nation.
Today is the last day that opinion polls can legally be published ahead of the Sept. 28 referendum.
Cordova, of Cedatos, and Santiago Perez each surveyed people by asking them to fill out a mock ballot. Both pollsters asked people to vote even if they were undecided.
In Cedatos's results, the simulated vote resulted in 55 percent favoring the constitution, 27 percent against, and 18 percent dropping blank or voided ballots. The survey of 1,970 people had a margin of error of 2.5 percent, with 29 percent undecided, Cordova said. The government-orchestrated campaign has major financial resources and is well-organized, he added.
Santiago Perez' data had 57 percent voting 'yes,' 23 percent 'no,' and 20 percent blank or voided. Out of 7,440 people surveyed, 35 percent said they were undecided, with a margin of error of 3 percent. Perez also carries out surveys for the Correa administration.
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