Hello! In this week’s issue: the most important facts of the week. Brazil’s pension reform bill, in detail. The Venezuelan crisis, explained.
The week in review
- Electoral fraud. The Federal Police has decided to wade into the investigation into Minister of Tourism Marcelo Antônio. He is suspected of using dummy candidates to siphon money from the publicly-financed electoral fund while serving as chairman of the Minas Gerais Committee of Jair Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal Party. The president’s former Secretary-General was fired after a similar scandal.
- Flávio Bolsonaro. More ties between Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and urban armed militias were discovered. Besides having employed the mother and wife of a leader of a death squad known as “The Office of Crime,” the senator employed the sister of another two militia members (who have been arrested) as the treasurer of his campaign. This woman signed two checks in the name of Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign committee for a total of BRL 8,500.
- Free trade. The Brazilian government will propose “exploratory talks” around a free-trade deal with the U.S., as President Jair Bolsonaro visits Washington DC on March 17. This marks a radical shift in Brazilian trade policy. Since 1994, when the Free Trade Area of...