Pandemic emergency aid gave an unlikely ratings boost to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has criticized welfare and protested virus prevention measures. Now he's weighing further social spending.
Approval for Bolsonaro rose to 37% in August from 32% in June, according to
, his highest rating since taking office in January 2019. Datafolha found that many of his popularity gains came from the demographic eligible for the new stipend.with the emergency stipend set to expire in September, Bolsonaro says his administration is planning a"Brazil Income" — an expansion of cash transfers to the poor that have been traditionally associated with the country's left.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stops to take pictures with supporters during the inauguration ceremony of the BR-469 highway development on Aug. 27 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stops to take pictures with supporters during the inauguration ceremony of the BR-469 highway development on Aug. 27 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.Brazil is renowned for its massive, nearly two-decade-old cash-transfer program for the poor, Bolsa Família .
Luis Carlos Aranha, 34, a day laborer in a small town in São Paulo state who received Bolsa Família before the pandemic, says what changed for him with the larger stipend was becoming able to"buy food like fruit and ham for our daughters, instead of just rice and beans." But the stipend was meant to be temporary. Legislators from different parties are now pushing the Bolsonaro administration to launch broad, long-term income support for the poor.While implementing a basic income could lift Bolsonaro's popularity, it could also bring him to a crossroads regarding an election promise to keep a tight budget.
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