Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 12 april 2019
Brazil's Bolsonaro has a few wins, some missteps in 100 days

By MARCELO SILVA DE SOU- 2%.
SA Bolsonaro, who likes to say
MAURICIO SAVARESE he is pushing ideology out
Associated Press of Brazil's foreign affairs, has
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — shifted the country's alli-
President Jair Bolsonaro's ances toward other lead-
first 100 days in office have ers who share his conser-
been marked by infighting vative tendencies, joining
in his administration, insults in regional efforts to isolate
to adversaries and allies, Venezuela's Maduro.
praise for Brazil's 1964-1985 He has been hosted in
dictatorship and a scarcity Trump's White House and
of bills passed by Congress in Netanyahu's Jerusalem,
— pretty much the same as but China, Brazil's biggest
his record as a congress- trading partner, has been
man and as a candidate. shunned. Agribusiness
So far, the anti-corruption leaders fear that approach
and pro-gun outsider who could harm Brazilian ex-
is frequently compared ports to Asia.
to U.S. President Donald Vice President Hamilton
Trump has scored only a Mourao has tried to soften
few major victories to keep that stance, calling China
his far-right base excited. a partner and meeting with
Bolsonaro's electoral tri- Chinese diplomats.
umph in October sent Bra- The man once hailed as an
zil's left to its biggest defeat anti-corruption hero by sup-
in almost two decades. But In this Jan. 1, 2019 file photo, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro points with his fingers to mimic guns porters is facing suspicions
for many, so far Bolsonaro's as he rides in an open car with his wife, first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, after his swearing-in cer- of familial wrongdoing.
administration is heavy on emony in Brasilia, Brazil. Regulatory authorities said
discourse and light on con- Associated Press his son Flavio, who is also a
crete accomplishments. senator, received 48 suspi-
Bolsonaro has achieved in response to revelers who four, sometimes fractious "playing at being Brazil's cious payments totaling
some of his campaign had mocked him. factions: the military, with president." about $25,000 in a single
promises: He signed a de- What is widely seen as his eight out of 22 ministers; "Now it is time for us to stop month from his former driver
cree easing restrictions on most crucial challenge— evangelical conserva- joking around and it is time Fabricio Queiroz, who also
gun ownership as an anti- fixing the country's costly tives who control the gov- that he sits on his chair that made a payment to first
crime move, privatized pension system — remains ernment's human rights Congress sits here and we lady Michelle Bolsonaro of
some state-run compa- trapped in Congress with agenda; a moderate wing solve Brazil's problems to- about $5,500. All involved
nies, installed a Cabinet other proposals, including overseeing economic and gether," Maia said last deny any wrongdoing. An
with eight members of the a highly touted revamp of justice ministries, and a month. investigation is ongoing.
military — more than at the anti-crime and anti- cluster of anti-globalist fans The public also seems rest- None of those difficulties
any time since the restora- corruption systems. of Olavo de Carvalho, a less. The Datafolha polling have alienated Bolsonaro's
tion of democracy — and During 27 years in Con- far-right Brazilian writer who institute reported Sunday hardcore supporters, like
has built strong ties with gress, Bolsonaro was noted lives in the United States, that Bolsonaro's approval 60-year-old hairdresser Ro-
Trump and Israeli President for inflammatory speeches now dominate foreign rela- rating has slipped to 32%, berta Duarte. "Bolsonaro is
Benjamin Netanyahu while but presented only two bills tions and education. the lowest for any elected doing what he promised.
distancing Brazil from Ven- that became law. Carlos Melo, a political sci- first-term Brazilian president, No other president did this
ezuela's socialist leader, "This administration is char- ence professor at Insper though still far above the in more than 50 years. He
Nicolas Maduro. acterized by strong rhetoric University in Sao Paulo, said single-digit approval rating is putting the house in or-
He has also begun moves that is not necessarily sup- the divisions put Bolsonaro's his predecessor, Michel Te- der, fighting crime and vio-
to weaken environmental ported by actions in the administration "in paralysis mer, had at the end. lence," said Duarte, who
restrictions on develop- same direction," said Re- from the start." Datafolha interviewed lives in a violent region in
ment, as promised. nato Flores, an analyst with "There are too many con- 2,086 people April 2-3 and the south of Sao Paulo.
Still, as he marks off his the Rio-based Fundacao flicts. We can't see a proper reported a two- percent- "Violence was so strong
100th day in the presiden- Getulio Vargas think-tank. plan to grow the economy age point margin of error. that no one could leave
cy Wednesday, he has also Some once-staunch sup- and Bolsonaro is losing the Business leaders and stock- at night to watch a movie
given critics a lot of mate- porters of the president momentum presidents brokers initially welcomed or eat a pizza. Slowly things
rial to work with, and cor- now worry about the role have in the first six months. Bolsonaro's victory, but so are improving." Others, like
ruption suspicions against he gives to his sons Car- Even his pension reform, far there has been little sign 18-year-old journalism stu-
the president's family have los, Eduardo and Flavio. which led many moderates of economic improvement. dent Lucas Batista, are wor-
emerged. Criticism by Carlos helped to believe him, seems at Unemployment officially ried by Bolsonaro's frequent
The former army cap- prompt the resignation of risk of failing or being mas- is still at 12%, a record 4.9 nods to Brazil's military dic-
tain has been widely criti- Bolsonaro's aide and at- sively dehydrated by the million Brazilians stopped tatorship when his admin-
cized for celebrating the torney Gustavo Bebianno. very Congress he doesn't searching for jobs in March istration comes under criti-
March 31, 1964, coup that Eduardo alarmed some talk to," Melo said. "It can and an initial stock market cism. "He is an authoritarian
launched Brazil's military by tweeting that the presi- all change; he has time. But rally was erased follow- leader who believes he is
regime and for labeling dent would need only "one the signs are not here yet." ing some of the president's the only one capable of
Nazism as a leftist ideol- soldier and one corporal" Even lower house Speaker Twitter-made rifts with allies. solving the country's prob-
ogy while in Jerusalem. He to deal with the Supreme Rodrigo Maia, who initially The government research lems," Batista said. "I fear
managed to offend even Court. had good relations with institute recently reduced Bolsonaro and his followers
allies with a pornographic Bolsonaro's Cabinet ap- Bolsonaro, has complained its 2019 economic growth want to reintroduce a mili-
tweet of a Carnival party pears to be divided into that the far-right leader is expectations from 2.7% to tary regime."q