Jair Bolsonaro kicks off his strategy to gain support in the Northeast with a water infrastructure project. The new behavior of Brazilian investors. And just how important is the coronavirus stipend for families.
Bolsonaro uses water diplomacy to gain support in Northeast
President Jair Bolsonaro has inaugurated a stretch of the São Francisco river transfer project, in the northeastern state of Ceará. Friday’s event kicked off a project to increase the government’s popularity in the region, where Mr. Bolsonaro has his lowest approval ratings in the entire country. Eyeing the 2022 re-election bid, the government plans to launch several development actions in the poor semi-arid region.
Infrastructure. The project to transfer the São Francisco River is the biggest hydric infrastructure project in Brazilian history. With 13 aqueducts, nine pumping stations, 27 reservoirs, and 270 kilometers of high-tension transmission lines, it plans to divert 1.4 percent of the river’s water to supply municipalities that have historically struggled with droughts.
History. The project was initially conceived by Emperor Dom Pedro II in the mid-1800s, but construction only started 150 years later, during the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Last week, Mr. Bolsonaro became the fourth president to inaugurate a stretch...