Explaining Brazil #42: Was Michel Temer that bad of a president?

Jan 09, 2019 13:27 2 min read (Updated: Aug 31, 2021 6:34)

Our first podcast of 2019 focused on the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro. This week, we want to talk about the man he replaced — former President Michel Temer.

He served as the country’s head of state for two and a half years — a spell marked by corruption scandals and austerity measures. Combined, these two factors made Temer the least appreciated president in Brazilian democratic history.

When he left office, Mr. Temer’s administration was evaluated as good or great by only 7 percent of Brazilians. 62 percent thought his government was either bad or terrible. While these are far from positive figures, they actually represent an improvement. At one point, only 3 percent approved Temer, while 73 percent didn’t care for him.

Was he as bad as most Brazilians seem to think? And what is the legacy he leaves behind? That’s what we’ll try to answer this week.

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On this podcast

Gustavo Ribeiro has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics. His work has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets, including Veja, Época, Folha de São Paulo, Médiapart, and Radio France Internationale. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Abril Prize for outstanding political journalism. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Latin American studies from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.

João Carlos Magalhães is a political journalist and Ph.D. researcher at the London School of Economics. His research concerns the political and ethical implications of the algorithmic systems which structure digital platforms. More specifically, he looks into how the regimes of visibility made possible by these systems, when imagined by “ordinary” users, are associated with the construction of these users’ civic voices.

Mauricio Santoro holds a Ph.D. in Political Science. He is currently Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. He also writes op-eds for The Brazilian Report.

Marcelo Soares is a Brazilian journalist specializing in data journalism and reader engagement. He regularly contributes with The Brazilian Report.

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Explaining Brazil #42: Was Michel Temer that bad of a president?

On this podcast

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