Brazil and Mexico: what is the balance in their first months of government?

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Last year there were elections in two of the most important countries in the region. What has been the balance of these two leaders in their first months of government?

Jair Bolsonaro and Andrés Manuel López Obrador were elected by the Brazilian and Mexican people, respectively. For many, both of them represent opposite poles within Latin American politics, but surprisingly they may have more in common than imagined. On the other side, not long ago they rose to power, so how did it go in a first balance?

Leer en español: Brasil y México: ¿Cuál es el balance en sus primeros meses de gobierno?

Jair Bolsonaro

The president of Brazil, and whose controversial claims against women and the LGBT population are characteristic, ended his first month in office recovering from abdominal surgery. As explained by the Universal, it is a "reconstruction operation of the intestinal transit to remove the colostomy bag, which was loaded from the stab that almost cost him his life last September." While the president recovers the balance of his first month, it came to light.

For Bolsonaro it was a difficult start due to the different series of problems in which his government was involved. First, his son and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is in the middle of a scandal for alleged corruption. Something that in the electoral campaign of his father, was used as one of the main pillars with which it had to end.

The senator is being investigated because in 2017 "around 1.2 million reais, had been received and sent from an account belonging to an assistant, Fabrício Queiroz", as reported by Infobae. Within the transaction routes, the name of the first lady is also present. According to Flavio Bolsonaro, this money is part of some transactions resulting from the sale of a property, however, the evasion of meetings with investigators of the case and the appeal of the affected to stop the investigation, reveal the signs of a possible corruption scandal in which not only the Senate would be involved but also the first lady.

Second, the Bolsonaro government has not connected very well with each other. An example of this is that initially, the president announced the increase of a series of taxes that was later denied by "one of the members of the economic team" as stated by El País. On the other hand, the contradictions between Bolsonaro and Hamilton Mourao regarding the move of the Brazilian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem also sounded in the different Brazilian media.

However, one of the measures that it did implement was the law that allows the rules on the carrying of arms to be relaxed. In mid-January, Bolsonaro signed the change, and the Brazilians can buy up to 4 weapons without being questioned by the use of these. It should be noted that Brazil is one of the countries with the most murders in the world.

Perhaps you are interested in reading: Colombia and Brazil towards the free carrying of weapons?

Additionally, another of the difficulties that Bolsonaro will have to overcome is the arrival of a new Congress, with which he will have to work on the differences that hinder legislative activity.

Third, his performance and appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos were severely criticized, because his presentation was short, using only 6 of the 45 minutes arranged to present "his projects before the global economic and political elite," as it is affirmed by the All News media.

Finally, another of the situations that the president had to overcome was the environmental disaster of the rupture of the dam in Brumadinho, which leaves about 84 dead and more than 276 people missing. The tragedy put in check the decision in the electoral campaign to close the Ministry of Environment.

The balance for the first month of Bolsonaro is somewhat timid because although the modification of the weapons was implemented, the government has not yet taken an accurate rhythm, since no defined strategy has been proposed.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador

The arrival of AMLO to Mexican power refreshed the wave of corruption that had been experienced since the previous government. López Obrador has been in power for two months, and they have witnessed the fulfillment of several promises in his election campaign. On the one hand, there is the sale of the presidential plane, the cancellation of the project of the New Mexico International Airport (NAIM) and the achievement of several public officials agreeing to the reduction of their salaries.

However, one of the main problems is the lack of fuel, and with it the arrival of the huachicoleros. The situation worsened in such a way that the explosion of a fuel pipeline left at least 100 dead. With this event, the Mexicans could understand the danger of resorting to theft and "gave the country a hard, painful but instructive experience," as the president called it.

Another problem that has had to weigh is the problems in Tamaulipas manufactures, which is added to more than 20 companies to unemployment because "workers ask for a 20% increase in their tabulators and a bonus of 32,000 pesos Mexicans, "according to Forbes Mexico.

On the other hand, the railway block, which is already close to completing a month, has caused "Mexico to lose more than 30% of its port capacity, affecting not only Michoacán, but the productive chains of all of Mexico", as affirmed the president of the Chamber of Industry of the Transformation, Juan Ignacio Garza Herrera. The blockade persists even though AMLO sent around 1000 million pesos.

In spite of the above, the balance of López Obrador could be on the positive side of the balance, since its management approval rose by 88.5%, according to a survey by the Strategic Communications Office. In addition to the above, "neither negligence nor omission has been demonstrated," as stated by the Orchestra. Undoubtedly, the commitment to austerity, to have clear migration policies, to be neutral in international situations and the constant channels of information has earned points Lopez Obrador in its first two months of government.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz

Translated from "Brasil y México ¿Cuál es el balance en sus primeros meses de gobierno?"