Bolsonaro Announcement Quickly Contradicted by Honda, L’Oréal, and MWM

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro published on Wednesday morning on social media that L’Oréal, Honda, and MWM, an engine factory, had announced the closure of plants in Argentina and their establishment in Brazil. The companies denied reallocating. The post was deleted a few hours later.

In the post, Bolsonaro grounded the companies’ move on the alleged “investor confidence” in Brazil and said that the new production plants would bring more jobs to the country.

“MWM, the US engine factory, Honda, the automobile giant, and L’Oréal have announced the closure of their factories in Argentina and installation in Brazil. The new investor confidence is expected to generate more jobs and greater economic turnover in our country,” the post said.

Although the president reversed and deleted the post, eight hours later his special advisor, Arthur Weintraub, persisted on the topic on the same social media:

“Large companies closing factories in Argentina and relocating to Brazil. This is confidence. These investments will increase jobs in the country. Now imagine if President Bolsonaro were not in office. Imagine if it were one who shouted “free the jailed president”. In Argentina there is one.”

In a note, Honda said it announced in August this year that it would stop producing cars in Argentina in 2020, but that the production of motorcycles would proceed. As a result, no plant would be closed. According to the company, there are no plans to relocate plants to Brazil.

In a note, L’Oréal Brasil said that news that the company would close a factory in Argentina to relocate production to Brazil refers to an article published in the press in 2001. Still, according to the note, L’Óreal manufactures its products in partnership with a local company and has no plans to change the current situation.

When asked, MWM released a note on September 27th in which it said it would close its operations in the city of Jesus Maria, in Córdoba, Argentina, on October 1st. According to the same statement, the support for Mercosur products would be provided by the Brazilian operation.

Argentina is Brazil’s main partner in Mercosur and Brazil’s third-largest trading partner, as well as the main buyer of Brazilian industrial products. Bolsonaro campaigned for the re-election of President Mauricio Macri, and since the campaign, he has been attacking President-elect Alberto Fernández, who has former President Cristina Kirchner as vice-president. He even called them “thugs in red” and predicted that Argentinians would flee to Brazil if they were to win.

After Fernández’s victory on October 27th, Bolsonaro voiced his outrage at the fact that the Argentinian advocated the release of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and, in retaliation, announced that he would not attend his inauguration, scheduled for December 10th.

The President and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro‘s comments on Fernández were criticized by Macri’s own foreign minister, Jorge Faurie, who described them as “inappropriate” and sent a letter of protest to Brazil’s ambassador in Buenos Aires.

Source: O Globo