Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 27 May 2019
Backers of embattled Bolsonaro take to streets in Brazil

By ANNA JEAN KAISER slipping. Roughly as many
Associated Press people now disapprove of
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — his government as approve
Thousands gathered in cit- of it.
ies across Brazil on Sunday Pollster XP Investimentos
to show support for Presi- said its poll showed 36% of
dent Jair Bolsonaro, who Brazilians think Bolsonaro’s
faces an uncooperative government is bad or ter-
Congress, street protests, a rible and 34% say it’s good
family corruption scandal or great. The firm surveyed
and falling approval ratings 1,000 people on May 21-22,
five months into his term. with a margin of error of 3.2
The stumbling start for the percentage points.
far-right leader who rode “Bolsonaro got off to a very
a wave of dissatisfaction bad start, especially in the
with Brazil’s political class first month,” said Sergio
to victory led his backers to Praça, a political scientist
call for the demonstrations, at the Getulio Vargas Foun-
which represented a mixed dation University, referring
bag of demands and pro- to a corruption scandal in-
tests. volving his family.
Supporters sang the na- Just weeks into his presi-
tional anthem and waved dency, questions mounted
Brazilian flags while chant- A supporter of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro helps carry a photo of the president during a rally over a report from financial
ing the names of Bolsonaro on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, May 26, 2019. regulators that flagged ir-
cabinet members. Many Associated Press regular payments in 2016
said that Brazil’s institutions didn’t support calls to close gresswoman whose name who aren’t allowing the and 2017 between his son,
were not letting Bolsonaro institutions. was floated as a potential people to be free.” Flavio, then a state legis-
govern. Some called for “That would not be good vice president. She said The idea for demonstra- lator and now a senator,
the closure of Congress for Brazil,” Bolsonaro said. Bolsonaro’s biggest risk was tions in favor of Bolsonaro and his driver. Prosecutors
and the Supreme Court. “That’s more Maduro than himself, his sons and some gained steam after tens suspect the payments are
“We need to clean out Jair Bolsonaro,” he added, of his staff members. of thousands of people part of a common scheme
Congress,” said Neymar referring to Venezuelan “Wake up! On the 26th, if across Brazil last week pro- in lower levels of Brazilian
de Menezes, a 45-year-old leader Nicolás Maduro. the streets are empty, Bol- tested budget cuts to pub- government in which poli-
construction contractor. The call for demonstrations sonaro will realize he has to lic education imposed by ticians hire ghost employ-
“Unfortunately all the depu- created a rift among Bra- stop with the drama and his government. Bolsonaro ees who kick back portions
ties there are compromised zil’s conservatives. The pres- do his job,” she said. dismissed the student-led of their salaries into the
and all about deal making. ident of Bolsonaro’s party Bolsonaro did not partici- protests, calling their par- elected official’s bank ac-
Bolsonaro is fighting them said protests “don’t make pate in the demonstrations. ticipants “imbeciles” and count. Bolsonaro and his
by himself.” sense.” Speaking at a church ser- “useful idiots.” son ran on anti-corruption
Bolsonaro, who earlier in “For the love of God, stop vice in Rio de Janeiro, he It was the first mass street platforms — a large reason
his political career said with the calls for protests, said demonstrators were movement against the for- why many voters chose him
he would close Congress these people need a reality on the streets to, “deliver a mer army captain who took over the leftist candidate
if he were ever president, check,” tweeted Janaína message to those who insist office on Jan. 1 and has from the scandal-ridden
told reporters on Friday he Paschoal, a federal con- on keeping the old politics seen his popularity steadily Worker’s Party.q

Magnitude 8 earthquake strikes Amazon jungle in Peru

By FRANKLIN BRICENO called for calm before trav- A preliminary survey by
Associated Press eling to the zone with mem- authorities found that six
LIMA, Peru (AP) — A pow- bers of his cabinet to survey people were injured and
erful magnitude 8.0 earth- the damage. He said first 27 homes damaged across
quake struck a remote part reports indicate a bridge seven provinces. Three
of the Amazon jungle in had collapsed and sev- schools, three hospitals and
Peru early Sunday, collaps- eral homes and roads had two churches were also af-
ing buildings and knocking been affected. fected
out power to some areas “It’s a quake that was felt In Yurimaguas, a bridge
but causing only one re- throughout the Peruvian and several old houses col-
ported death. jungle,” said Vizcarra, who lapsed, and the electricity
The quake struck at 2:41 was scheduled to host a was cut, according to the
a.m. and was centered in regional summit Sunday in National Emergency Op-
a vast nature preserve 57 the capital with the presi- erations Center.
miles (92 kilometers) east of dents of Bolivia, Colombia Images circulating on so-
the small town of Yurima- and Ecuador. cial media showed resi-
guas. Helping limit dam- In this photo courtesy of Hoy Noticias media, a road is left Ricardo Seijas, chief of the dents in several parts of the
age was the earthquake’s cracked after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in San Martin, Peru, National Emergency Op- country panicked as the
depth, at 70 miles (114 kilo- Sunday, May 26, 2019. erations Center, said one quake shook buildings.
meters) below the surface, Associated Press person died when a rock The quake also awoke peo-
according to the U.S. Geo- that are close to the sur- destruction. fell on a house in the Hua- ple in Lima, who ran out of
logical Survey. Earthquakes face generally cause more President Martín Vizcarra rango district. their homes in fear. q