Good morning! This week, we talk about Sunday’s pro-Bolsonaro protests and what they mean (or don’t mean). The impact of social welfare on the labor market. And the urban transition in Brazil, according to census data.
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Bolsonaro still commands followers, but what good will that do him?
Far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro drew thousands upon thousands of supporters to a rally in São Paulo on Sunday, where he railed against the criminal investigations surrounding him and his political entourage and denied having plotted a coup to stay in power regardless of the outcome of the 2022 election.
By the numbers. According to the São Paulo police, 750,000 people attended the demonstration. The numbers were disputed due to the ideological alignment of the São Paulo government with Mr. Bolsonaro (Governor Tarcísio de Freitas was one of the rally’s main speakers) and the lack of transparency around the figures.
- Using AI-based systems, researchers at the University of São Paulo estimated attendance at a maximum of 185,000 people, albeit with a 12-percent margin of error.