Stuck in second place in the polls for over a year now and smarting from rejection rates over 50 percent, Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro went into desperation mode in June. Aware that popularity is so often tied to the economic conditions of the population, he sent a proposal to Congress circumventing public spending rules and freeing up more than BRL 40 billion (USD 7.6 billion) in social benefits — a controversial move in an election year.
The proposal was nicknamed the “Desperation Bill” or “Kamikaze Bill” due to its dramatic impact on public accounts, leaving a significant hole...
