Brazilian police expect 130,000 people to take to the streets today as officials rush to respond to demands for improved health care and education in protests that have coincided with a dry run for the World Cup.
Shopkeepers boarded up their windows in Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third-largest city, where 100,000 were forecast to march as the national soccer team meets Uruguay in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.
Police prepared for 30,000 to gather in Brasilia, where protesters tried to set fire to the Foreign Ministry building last week, as well as Rio de Janeiro.
President Dilma Rousseff, saying she will listen to the “voices of the streets,” this week proposed a plebiscite to give citizens a stronger say in government while vowing to improve health care and boost education spending.
She won support yesterday from Supreme Court Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa and the head of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, for political reform aimed at quashing corruption that has fueled the biggest street revolt in two decades.
“All I can hope is that they are peaceful and there are no clashes with the police,” national team striker Fred told reporters on the eve of today’s match.
“We asked the people to unite and give only joy for at least 90 minutes of this game.”
Demonstrations began three weeks ago against an increase in bus fares and have since given voice to discontent over spending on stadiums for next year’s World Cup.
While 40 million people emerged from poverty over the past decade, accelerating inflation and a slowing economy have pushed Rousseff’s approval rating down eight percentage points since March.
Brazil’s Currency
Brazil’s currency has weakened 7 percent this year, helping lead the Ibovespa stock benchmark to a 28 percent slump in dollar terms, the second-worst performance among 94 major indexes.
Calheiros, himself a target of anti-corruption protests, said yesterday he would suspend a Senate recess until lawmakers vote on Rousseff’s proposals to quell the protests.
In a late-night session, lower house lawmakers voted 430 to 9 to scrap a proposal that protesters said would have limited public prosecutors’ power to investigate corruption.
The constitutional amendment No. 37, as it was known, was a rallying cry for many of the protesters. Lawmakers also approved a bill earmarking oil royalties for education. In a defeat for the government they modified Rousseff’s original goal of funneling 100 percent of future oil revenue to schools.
Instead, 75 percent will go to education and the remainder to improving health care. The bill must still be approved by the Senate.
Radical Measures
Brazil needs radical measures to combat corruption, Barbosa told reporters in Brasilia yesterday after meeting with Rousseff. He said he supports changes to Brazil’s electoral law and voters’ right to recall elected officials.
“We need to include the people in the debate over reforms,” Barbosa said.
“Brazil is tired of reforms by the elites.” In a Datafolha poll among protesters in Sao Paulo, 30 percent of those interviewed said they would vote for Barbosa in next year’s presidential election compared to 10 percent for Rousseff.
Barbosa said yesterday he was “flattered” and has no desire to run for the post. In one of a handful of similar blockades across the country in recent days, about 600 protesters obstructed a highway yesterday in Minas Gerais state.
Seven Helicopters
Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, will deploy 5,000 security personnel, with almost 2,000 supervising the game, said Major Gilmar Luciano, head of the press office for the military police in the state.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA said in an e-mailed statement that it has “full trust” in the safety and security plan presented by the authorities.
Demonstrators have sometimes gathered outside stadiums, as when protesters clashed with police in Belo Horizonte during the Mexico-Japan match on June 22, which saw tens of thousands march.
More than 1 million demonstrated on June 20 across Brazil, with police firing rubber bullets and tear gas. Four people have died.
“We can’t stop now, we won’t stop,” said Carla Zambelli, the 32-year-old founder of Nas Ruas, an anti-corruption group planning a demonstration tomorrow in the northeastern city of Salvador.
“The people showed that the main issues are corruption and miserable public services. Either the politicians stop stealing from us, or we’ll shut down Brazil.”
bloomberg.com
Shopkeepers boarded up their windows in Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third-largest city, where 100,000 were forecast to march as the national soccer team meets Uruguay in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.
Police prepared for 30,000 to gather in Brasilia, where protesters tried to set fire to the Foreign Ministry building last week, as well as Rio de Janeiro.
President Dilma Rousseff, saying she will listen to the “voices of the streets,” this week proposed a plebiscite to give citizens a stronger say in government while vowing to improve health care and boost education spending.
She won support yesterday from Supreme Court Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa and the head of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, for political reform aimed at quashing corruption that has fueled the biggest street revolt in two decades.
“All I can hope is that they are peaceful and there are no clashes with the police,” national team striker Fred told reporters on the eve of today’s match.
“We asked the people to unite and give only joy for at least 90 minutes of this game.”
Demonstrations began three weeks ago against an increase in bus fares and have since given voice to discontent over spending on stadiums for next year’s World Cup.
While 40 million people emerged from poverty over the past decade, accelerating inflation and a slowing economy have pushed Rousseff’s approval rating down eight percentage points since March.
Brazil’s Currency
Brazil’s currency has weakened 7 percent this year, helping lead the Ibovespa stock benchmark to a 28 percent slump in dollar terms, the second-worst performance among 94 major indexes.
Calheiros, himself a target of anti-corruption protests, said yesterday he would suspend a Senate recess until lawmakers vote on Rousseff’s proposals to quell the protests.
In a late-night session, lower house lawmakers voted 430 to 9 to scrap a proposal that protesters said would have limited public prosecutors’ power to investigate corruption.
The constitutional amendment No. 37, as it was known, was a rallying cry for many of the protesters. Lawmakers also approved a bill earmarking oil royalties for education. In a defeat for the government they modified Rousseff’s original goal of funneling 100 percent of future oil revenue to schools.
Instead, 75 percent will go to education and the remainder to improving health care. The bill must still be approved by the Senate.
Radical Measures
Brazil needs radical measures to combat corruption, Barbosa told reporters in Brasilia yesterday after meeting with Rousseff. He said he supports changes to Brazil’s electoral law and voters’ right to recall elected officials.
“We need to include the people in the debate over reforms,” Barbosa said.
“Brazil is tired of reforms by the elites.” In a Datafolha poll among protesters in Sao Paulo, 30 percent of those interviewed said they would vote for Barbosa in next year’s presidential election compared to 10 percent for Rousseff.
Barbosa said yesterday he was “flattered” and has no desire to run for the post. In one of a handful of similar blockades across the country in recent days, about 600 protesters obstructed a highway yesterday in Minas Gerais state.
Seven Helicopters
Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, will deploy 5,000 security personnel, with almost 2,000 supervising the game, said Major Gilmar Luciano, head of the press office for the military police in the state.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA said in an e-mailed statement that it has “full trust” in the safety and security plan presented by the authorities.
Demonstrators have sometimes gathered outside stadiums, as when protesters clashed with police in Belo Horizonte during the Mexico-Japan match on June 22, which saw tens of thousands march.
More than 1 million demonstrated on June 20 across Brazil, with police firing rubber bullets and tear gas. Four people have died.
“We can’t stop now, we won’t stop,” said Carla Zambelli, the 32-year-old founder of Nas Ruas, an anti-corruption group planning a demonstration tomorrow in the northeastern city of Salvador.
“The people showed that the main issues are corruption and miserable public services. Either the politicians stop stealing from us, or we’ll shut down Brazil.”
bloomberg.com
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