Bogotá, October 5 (teleSUR-RHC)-- A poll conducted by Semana magazine found support growing inside Colombia for the ongoing peace process between the leftist rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government.  The head of the rebel group, Timoleon Jiménez, and President Juan Manuel Santos recently signed an important agreement regarding transitional justice. 

The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Napoleon Franco, found 46 percent of respondents now felt optimistic about the peace talks, a dramatic increase over results in July that found only 29 percent felt optimistic. 

Respondents who felt negatively over the peace talks still outpaced the optimists, however, with 52 percent feeling pessimistic, a drop from 69 percent in July.

The poll also found that 55 percent of the respondents felt the whole country would win if a final deal was signed. At least 28 percent thought the FARC would win, 8 percent said the government, and nine percent said no one.

The approval ratings of President Santos had been steadily dropping over the last year but shot up to 47 percent with the news the government was close to reaching a final deal with the FARC.

The poll served to reveal his approval rating is closely linked with the progress of the peace negotiations. Santos was re-elected president in 2014 largely on the basis that he would secure a peace deal.

Both parties agreed to have a deal signed by late March 2016, though 58 percent felt the deadline would not be met. 

News of the historic meeting between FARC Commander Jimenez, better known as Timochenko, and President Santos reached 8 out of 10 Colombians, with 55 percent viewing the meeting as positive.