The government’s difficulties are emerging clearly, with the weakness of its parliamentary group, stuck between the unpopularity of the reform and the clientelist pressures of the parties of the centre, unable to show their support for Guedes’ proposal. So, the visit of the minister ended in noisy confusion and an exchange of insults. The embarrassment of the minister representing the banking sector in the Commission led to a fall in capital markets.

The next day was marked by the frenetic search for a agreement between Bolsonaro and party leaders, showing the need to deal with those whom Bolsonarism has called the representatives of the “old politics”. The press reported apologies from Bolsonaro for having “singled out” personalities such as Romero Jucá (MDB) and Ciro Nogueira (PP). In a pathetic moment, addressing Gilberto Kassab (PSD), entangled in investigations into corruption cases, Bolsonaro apologized for having previously described him as “manure”.

After the crisis of the preceding week with the deputies and the president of the assembly Rodrigo Maia, after the arrests of Temer and Moreira Franco and the remonstrances of the financial and business press, the government is organizing its ranks. It wants to put its troops in marching order in defence of the reform of the pension system and to overcome the difficulties so far, demonstrated by their flagrant lack of preparation and their incompetence.

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