Good morning! This week, we’re talking about the push for the privatization of Brazil’s busiest port; what the first gubernatorial debates tell us about the presidential race, and the rise of poverty in Brazilian metro areas.
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🇨🇴 The region: Gustavo Petro took office as Colombia’s new president on Sunday. He pledged to unite the polarized country, fight inequality, and pacify conflicts with rebel groups. Roughly 100,000 invitees attended the inauguration, including at least nine Latin American presidents. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro was a no-show. On Sunday, he attended a football match.
A deadline for privatizing the Port of Santos
Caretaker Infrastructure Minister Marcelo Sampaio, who took office after his predecessor left to run for governor of São Paulo, told investors on Thursday that the government will deliver its plan for privatizing the Port of Santos by the end of the month, submitting the relevant documentation to the Federal Accounts Court.
Why it matters. The Port of Santos is Brazil’s busiest and is on pace to break a new cargo record, with a...