After the Downgrading, the Crisis Deepens

Less than a year after reelecting president Dilma Rousseff, Brazil finds itself gridlocked in a political and economic crisis without precedent, with no resolution in sight.  A recession more virulent than expected is compounded by the effects of an ongoing federal investigation and prosecution of corruption involving billions of dollars in stolen fraudulent contracts between state oil giant Petrobras, leading construction companies and political parties of the government coalition and beyond. With her approval rating down to single digits, the lowest on record, discredited president Dilma Rousseff has resisted calls to step down and vowed to fight an impeachment process that is supported by significant majorities of Brazilians in opinion polls but has lacked so far a legal justification. As the crisis deepens, evidence of the president inability to reassert herself and lead has mounted.

On September 18th, the Brazil Institute will convene a panel of leading Brazilian analysts to assess the situation and possible scenarios ahead. Political science experts Sérgio Fausto, executive director Fernando Henrique Cardoso Institute, and Claudio Gonçalves Couto, professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and an expert on the governing Workers Party will be joined by economist Eduardo Gianetti da Fonseca, a professor at Insper and close adviser to former presidential candidate Marina Silva. The seminar is co-sponsored by Ideia Inteligência, a polling company. Idea director, pollster Mauricio Moura, will present findings of a new poll on perceptions of Brazilian voters on the economic crisis and the political implications of the ongoing Lava Jato operation on corruption.

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Brazil Institute director Paulo Sotero, who will moderate the discussion, wrote an article for the Huffington Post on this issue.

Event co-sponsor:

Ideia Inteligência

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Photo courtesy of Flickr user Radio Interactiva