Economy Minister: “Racket of democracies better than silence of dictatorships”

Upon commenting on the latest institutional tension and its potential impact on the approval of the government’s structural reforms, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said that he prefers the “racket” of democracy to the “silence” of dictatorship.

“Every day we are tested by situations of political disagreements, and I always say that democracy is a noisy thing. We are better off understanding the racket of democracies, and it is always better than the silence of dictatorship,” said Mr. Guedes, during an event to announce Brazil’s top retail companies in 2021. “There is a lot of doubt, uncertainty, and insecurity in the current moment,” he added.

Recent political spats involving President Jair Bolsonaro and the Supreme Court have had an effect on the government’s support base in Congress, which is working to avoid setbacks that may harm politicians’ public images ahead of the 2022 elections. Last week, Mr. Bolsonaro made an official request to impeach Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, and has threatened to do the same for his colleague Luis Roberto Barroso.

According to the Economy Minister, before what he calls “political disagreements,” the country was enjoying a relatively encouraging economic period, with the 2022 budget all but finalized and including funds for an extended version of the Bolsa Família income transfer program — seen as key for President Bolsonaro’s re-election chances.

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