Brazil elections 2022: Presidential candidates’ government programs

Jair Bolsonaro, Lula da Silva, and Ciro Gomes have already presented their plans for Brazil.

One prioritizes transforming Brazil into an economic powerhouse; the other focuses on restoring the population’s living conditions, and the third highlights economic and educational aspects.

This year’s elections are being marked by a flurry of accusations from all sides, but little is said about what Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party – PL), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party – PT), and Ciro Gomes (Democratic Labour Party – PDT) have planned for Brazil should they win the race for the Presidential Palace in October.

JAIR BOLSONARO: FOR THE GOOD OF BRAZIL

Bolsonaro is running for reelection with a government program entitled “Pelo Bem do Brasil” (For the Good of Brazil). In it, the president proposes to create conditions for the country to become “an economic powerhouse that benefits its population.”

Among the proposals for generating jobs and income are the encouragement of freedom of negotiation, the reduction of bureaucracy and the tax burden, the formalization of workers, and the deregulation of norms to encourage entrepreneurship.

The document also proposes to proceed with the modernization and digitalization of the State and advocates the expansion of 5G technology in areas such as education, telehealth, industry, and agriculture.

In the document, Bolsonaro commits to maintaining the value of R$600 (US$116) for “Auxílio Brasil” (Brazil Aid) as of January 2023.

According to the text, the social program should promote the productive inclusion of families and pay special attention to the development of children and adolescents.

The economic growth proposals include expanding financing mechanisms, taking advantage of regional and local potentialities, and developing tourism.

In health, Bolsonaro plans to strengthen primary care with interdisciplinary health promotion work, and improve the Unified Health System (SUS) management, with articulation between the public and private sectors.

The proposal is to expand social assistance in the fight against all forms of violence and abandonment of women, children and adolescents, elderly and disabled people, and the vulnerable.

In education, Bolsonaro’s objectives include improving the Brazilian position in the various international rankings and developing education in areas such as artificial intelligence and cyber security, adding value to the economy, and improving the employability of young people.

Bolsonaro’s new mandate also foresees investments to recover the education of students affected by the pandemic and the commitment to the approval of the National Sports Plan and the implementation of the National Culture System.

The document also cites the expansion of basic sanitation and drinking water distribution to the population.

Another of the candidate’s proposals is to invest in sustainable, renewable, and clean energy alternatives, promote environmental protection, and work on structural measures for fossil fuels, to reduce the price of cooking gas.

Other objectives highlighted in the document are expanding the fight against illegal burning and deforestation, promoting tourism on indigenous lands, and encouraging sustainable production activities.

LULA DA SILVA: REBUILDING AND TRANSFORMING BRAZIL

Lula’s government program was baptized Guidelines for the Program for the Reconstruction and Transformation of Brazil.

The document has as its first commitment the “restoration of the living conditions of the immense majority of the Brazilian population”. To this end, it proposes policies to assist families affected by the economic crisis and hunger.

The text also highlights points on how to resume and expand the “Bolsa Família” (Family Grant) income transfer program, besides proposing to revoke part of the current labor legislation to bring more social protection to workers, especially those who have fewer guarantees, such as the self-employed and those who have relationships mediated by applications.

Lula da Silva’s government program also presents specific policies for various groups, including people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ population, indigenous people, quilombolas, and the black population.

In addition to affirmative action for these groups, changes are proposed concerning public security, such as combating police violence and reducing incarceration.

Lula’s proposals also emphasize the need to strengthen the State’s role in the economy.

The program opposes the privatization of institutions such as the Post Office (Correios) and Eletrobras and defends the expansion of the role of public banks.

Petrobras, according to the text, should be oriented towards guaranteeing energy security and investing in renewable sources.

Da Silva’s plan also requires strengthening instruments to fight corruption and government transparency, such as strict compliance with the Access to Information Law.

CIRO GOMES AND THE 12 PROPOSALS

Ciro Gomes’ government program was divided into 12 main proposals, emphasizing economic and educational aspects. There are also issues related to the fight against corruption, women’s policies, and cultural projects.

The pedestrians propose creating a cash transfer program, baptized as Eduardo Suplicy, to guarantee R$1,000, on average, for the poorest families.

According to him, the program will require an investment of R$379 billion, obtained with the unification of the Brazil Aid, the Rural Retirement, and the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC), besides a tax reform that foresees the collection of a tax of R$0.50 to every R$100 from fortunes over R$20 million.

The program also aims to create an Emergency Plan for Full Employment, to generate 5 million jobs in the first two years of government.

The idea, according to Ciro, is to resume all works already tendered that have been paralyzed or not started, especially those related to housing, sanitation, public transport, and urban mobility.

The candidate also promises to increase the minimum wage consistently above inflation.

As for the fuel price policy, he intends to reduce the cost of gasoline and diesel, to relieve families’ expenses and help curb inflation, and, at the same time, cut in half the price of cooking gas for families with a monthly income of up to three minimum wages.

One of the most detailed points in Ciro’s government proposals is the one about education. The goal is to transform it into one of the ten best in the world within 15 years.

Among the actions already outlined are: to implement pedagogical methods that value the critical and analytical thinking of the students; to invest in the training, qualification, and remuneration of the teachers and principals; and to keep under permanent evaluation the performance of the schools and their directors, teachers, and students.

The program also highlights the implementation of full-time education and the use of computers at all levels, guaranteeing material support for poor children to ensure that they stay in school.

Enable monthly remuneration for high school students by evaluating school attendance and performance and implementing the so-called Full-Time Federal Schools in large cities’ poorest and most populous neighborhoods.

In the health area, the proposals are to face the price of medicines and hospital supplies, creating the Health Industrial Complex, which would produce most of the medication currently imported, and chemical components of drugs with expired patents.

With information from Agência Brasil