Today, the Supreme Court rules on making vaccines obligatory. Google hit with a fine from a São Paulo court. Another major car factory closes down.
Important
Dear reader, this is our final Daily Briefing of 2020. The Brazilian Report newsroom will take an end-of-year break between December 20 and January 3, 2021, before returning on January 4. In the meantime, we will continue publishing exclusive content about Brazil and Latin America.
2021: A make or break year for Brazil?
In 2021, President Jair Bolsonaro will have to walk a dangerous tightrope. He must lead the country into economic recovery — which requires the approval of structural reforms — while preserving his political capital among the electorate. Welfare programs are set to expire completely at the end of the year due to budgetary constraints. Without a safety net, Brazil’s record unemployment rate could explode, fueling social dissatisfaction.
History tells us that the combination of poor economic performance and low popularity is a dangerous cocktail for Brazilian presidents. For Mr. Bolsonaro, 2021 will determine whether he will go down as the man who steered Brazil out of the coronavirus crisis, or if his administration will implode along the way.
To learn about...