Popularity of Brazil’s President Temer Plummets to Five Percent

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The government of Brazilian President Michel Temer was considered bad or very bad by seventy percent of the population, says a study released by CNI/Ibopeon Thursday.

Only five percent consider it good or very good, the lowest positive rate for a Brazilian President since the country’s return to democracy in the 1980’s.

The CNI (National Industry Confederation)-Ibope survey for the second quarter of 2017 was held between July 13 and 16, and interviewed 2,000 people in 125 municipalities.

In the previous survey, released in March 2017, ten percent of respondents rated the government as good or very good, 31 percent as regular, 55 percent as bad or very bad, and 4 percent did not know or did not respond.

According to CNI’s Research and Competitiveness executive manager, Renato da Fonseca, the low popularity of the Temer government was influenced by the accusations of corruption disclosed by businessman Joesley Batista earlier this year and the difficulties the government has been facing in the economic front.

“The economic situation certainly weighed (negatively) on the assessment of the President. While inflation and interest rates are falling, unemployment remains high and the population continue to see a rise in prices,” Fonseca told journalists.

According to the CNI executive the political turbulence faced by the current administration combined with the slow economic recovery seen in the country contributed to one of the lowest popularity rates for any President in Brazil in recent history.

“In terms of bad or very bad, it (latest poll) is as bad as at the end of the Sarney Government (1989) and of President Rousseff’s government right before her impeachment, seventy percent,” concluded Fonseca.