Bolsonaro Makes Deal With Governors as Pandemic Seizes Brazil
Martha Beck and Simone Iglesias, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- In a rare moment of political consensus, President Jair Bolsonaro and state governors publicly endorsed an economy ministry’s proposal to freeze public servants salaries until the end of 2021 as part of a financial aid package during the pandemic.
The agreement was reached during a virtual meeting with all 27 governors on Thursday, plus the heads of both houses of congress and Economy Minister Paulo Guedes.
“This meeting is aimed at joining efforts to mitigate the crisis,” Bolsonaro said at the beginning of the discussion, asking for consensus. He added that veto is “the least bitter medicine” for public servants, and that it would be of extreme importance for the rest of the population.
He was praised by Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, with whom he has repeatedly sparred over quarantine measures. “Let’s go in peace, president, let’s go together. It’s the best way to beat the pandemic,” Doria said.
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