Brazilian municipalities enter election season strapped for funds

Feb 20, 2020 15:15 5 min read (Updated: Feb 20, 2020 18:44)

Brazilians head to the polls in October 2020 to elect new mayors and city councilors. And for many incumbents, their re-election bids could be a tough sell. A report by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM), which lobbies for mayors’ interests nationwide, reveals that 229 mayors (out of 5,570) are expected to declare a state of financial calamity in 2020—up from 69 last year.

“Financial calamity” is a maneuver city executives employ to tell voters they will be forced to shut down some public services, with the justification that their budget is insufficient for the municipality to meet all...

Brazilian municipalities enter election season strapped for funds

Access all of The Brazilian Report

Less expensive than a coffee!

Enjoy your 30-day limited-time offer for US$ 0.25 a week

Voting machine source code used for electoral disinformation

The electronic voting machines used in Brazil’s elections are the main targets of President Bolsonaro’s electoral disinformation campaign — despite tests showing them to be extremely secure

EU-Mercosur agreement faces a crossroads in Brazil’s presidential election

The free trade agreement reached in 2019 remains stalled, largely due to EU concerns with Brazil’s environmental commitments. But it is not clear if a change of government in Brasília would resolve the deadlock

How Brazilian Congress changed the balance of power in Brasília

The return in force under the current government of opaque budgetary grants for lawmakers has given Congress unprecedented power — that will last beyond this legislature

A putschist meeting shows up Bolsonaro’s erratic foreign policy

The guest list for President Bolsonaro’s July 18 meeting with foreign diplomats lays bare the Brazilian president’s erratic approach to foreign policy, and highlights how he shuns key partners such as Argentina and China

Absences and presidents mark kickoff of debate season in Brazil

Gubernatorial candidates in ten states held debates on Sunday evening, though there were some high-profile absences. Besides regional issues, contenders focused on the Lula-Bolsonaro divide

Senate to vote on report on Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira murders

Petrobras slashes gasoline prices for a third time in under a month

Federal Police marshal requests arrest of his police superiors for interference

Central Bank index brings good GDP omens to Brazil

Brazilian companies can get discounts of up to 70 percent on tax debts

Bolsonaro once again touts ineffective drugs against Covid

Opposition senators accuse pro-Bolsonaro prosecutor of malfeasance

São Paulo moves forward with fourth vaccine dose rollout

Regulators threaten to cancel Oi Telecom sale amid stalemate on roaming prices

Rate of positive Covid tests in Brazil on par with Omicron wave

Electoral court authorizes Armed Forces to inspect ballot code

Bolsonaro to launch campaign in city where he was stabbed

How Bolsonaro fends off pressure for democratic commitment

Brazilians unite in defense of democracy

Rosa Weber to take over Supreme Court’s rotating presidency

Market roundup: Latin America less keen on ESG bonds

The issuance of ESG debt bonds in Latin America has seen a major fall, much bigger than the global trend.

Why banks are now voicing concern about Brazilian democracy

Fearful of the economic consequences of a Bolsonaro-led coup attempt, Big business has belatedly decided to speak up, signing manifestos in defense of democracy

Market roundup: Higher interest rates push retail investors to fixed income

The returns on fixed income fluctuate in opposite direction to the benchmark interest rate. With rates at a six-year high, investors are fleeing from variable interest

Brazil’s Central Bank sends ambiguous message on interest rate hikes

The monetary authority raised benchmark rates by a half percentage point and said it is appropriate to continue tightening "significantly into even more restrictive territory." But many policy wonks believe it might not pull the trigger

Retailers will benefit from recent stimulus measures. But it won’t last

The case of Brazilian retail behemoth Magazine Luiza illustrates the challenges facing the country’s retail sector. The government’s electorally-motivated stimulus measures will provide a boost for retailers after a post-pandemic slump, but only in the short term

Tech roundup: Open finance gets to WhatsApp

Of the 24 million customers that interact digitally with Banco do Brasil, 10 million do so every single day, showing the need for more digital channels

AI is overhauling Latin America’s services industry

With solutions from AI-driven chatbots to all-in-one communication dashboards, companies like the Brazilian Nasdaq-listed Zenvia are among those surfing the so-called conversational or messaging commerce trend

Brazilian scientists add to research on superconductors

Computer simulations have allowed Brazilian researchers to reach new findings on superconductivity, an area of growing research globally

Tech roundup: A look at the 5G debut in Brazil

5G officially launches in São Paulo, but we take a look at how companies are already using the technology around the country

Tech roundup: Brazil’s video game problem

The flip side to the boom in Brazil’s video game industry is excessive usage, and high levels of associated problems, among young Brazilians

Explaining Brazil #211: Deflation for whom?

Brazil registered 0.68-percent deflation in July, suggesting that prices are easing. But a look beneath the headline numbers makes for some sobering discoveries

Explaining Brazil #210: Pro-democracy pushback

As President Jair Bolsonaro's anti-democratic antics grow in volume, banks and tycoons become vocal in their defense of democracy. A coup, after all, is bad for business

Explaining Brazil #209: The state of monkeypox in Brazil

Brazil has over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox. With the exception of Peru’s 275 confirmed cases, no other Latin American countries have hit the 100-case mark, making Brazil the region's monkeypox hotspot

Explaining Brazil #208: Electoral gears start to heat up

The main candidacies in Brazil's presidential election in October have been made official by their parties. We discuss what that changes in the race

Explaining Brazil #207: Anitta enters the presidential race

Arguably Brazil's biggest pop star of the moment, singer Anitta has endorsed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — and is even giving him campaign advice

Senators want government investigated over negligence in Amazon murders

A committee has asked federal prosecutors to investigate what they see as a lackadaisical response from the federal government in the case of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira’s murders

House committee to vote on amnesty for Brazil’s worst prison massacre

The 1992 Carandiru massacre is the bloodiest episode of prison violence in Brazil’s recent history. A House committee could now vote to get the ball rolling on amnestying the perpetrators

With monkeypox threat, Brazil risks repeating Covid failures

The Health Ministry claims to have ordered vaccines but The Brazilian Report understands that approval has not been sought

After six months, Brazil still has not rolled out enough vaccines for children

Following an analysis of public data, The Brazilian Report understands that Brazil still doesn't have enough Covid jabs for children

Anvisa greenlights CoronaVac for kids aged 3 to 5

Regulators have authorized the use of the Sinovac-developed Covid vaccine on children aged 3 to 5, but officials have already used the lion's share of available stocks

‘Poison bill’ could progress this month, environment and human rights bodies are furious

The controversial bill would drastically change pesticide regulations, making it considerably easier for new and potentially harmful products to be licensed for use

Petrobras fines being used to set model for environmental compensation

Over BRL 100 million in compensation paid by Petrobras for a 2001 diesel leak has taken decades to reach its intended target, but environmental agencies hope latest deal will set an example

The disappearing vegetation of Mato Grosso

Literally translated as 'thick vegetation,' the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso has been changed dramatically by the power of major agribusiness, and the forest cover which gave it its name is now largely gone

Caatinga region to have Brazil’s first carbon credit cooperative

Landowners in the semi-arid Northeast are keen on getting involved in the carbon market, but their properties are too small to generate credits in the traditional manner

Bolsonaro feigns a return of the Amazon Fund

After ignoring and gutting the Amazon Fund for years, the Jair Bolsonaro administration now appears to want to revive it. Experts remain skeptical, however

Argentina’s bizarrely convoluted multiple exchange rate system