Good morning! Bolsonaro has a strategy to win over the Northeast. Superior Court could rule on Lula’s case. Brazil’s debt forecast better, but still worrisome.
Bolsonaro has a strategy to win over the Northeast
The Brazilian Northeast is not fond of Jair Bolsonaro. It was the only region in which he didn’t earn the majority of votes during the 2018 election—and it is where his rejection rates are the highest (39%). He is hoping that could be about to change after today, as the president launches an expansion to the Bolsa Família cash transfer welfare program—which will now have 13 payments per year (which would cost BRL 2.6bn/year).
Created by the Workers’ Party (PT) in 2003, Bolsa Família has been extremely successful in courting votes from poor Brazilians—and no region is poorer than the Northeast, where at least 12% of the population depends on the program. The move could also boost Mr. Bolsonaro’s approval rating in peripheral communities in state capitals—where the rate of families depending on the program is also high.
Bolsa Família alone, however, is not enough to curb poverty rates or presidential unpopularity. The program helped former Workers Party’s President Lula turn the Northeast...