Bolsonaro speeds up payments to the poor as election looms
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has set aside $1.6 billion ($1.57 billion) for social benefits, according to a government estimate.
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President Jair Bolsonaro has set aside $1.6 billion ($1.57 billion) for social benefits, according to a government estimate
The figures are based on the president’s first “National Solidarity Budget”
Bolsonaro says the money will be used to reduce the number of illiterate people
Brazil’s presidential election is a year away, but as campaigning heats up, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has promised that the country’s new government will pay for all its “dreams and hopes” with “public works and public funds.”
The so-called Bolsonaro National Solidarity Budget, which was first announced during Bolsonaro’s campaign for president, amounts to a little over a tenth of the country’s total GDP.
The president has already approved $2.4 billion for public works, while the plan is to spend an additional $2.3 billion on social welfare in 2019.
The president’s plan is for the country to hit its “international development goals” with $9.2 billion. At the moment, Brazil is expected to exceed its target by more than $1 billion.
“Development is our first thought, and we want to be able to achieve it through public investments,” Bolsonaro said, according to the budget.
An estimated 60% of the new capital will go to Brazil’s education, health and social welfare sectors.
The budget says it’s all about reducing illiteracy, improving public access to education and health, and “promoting and improving access to public services.”
Speaking alongside Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo on Monday, his finance minister said the money will be invested in different programs that will be selected based on the country’s needs.
The budget also includes an $800 million investment
