Datafolha Poll: Despite Over 105,000 Deaths, Bolsonaro Achieves His Best Rating

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – While Brazil bitterly loses over 105,000 lives and is the country with the second-highest number of deaths and infections from the novel coronavirus (3.2 million), President Jair Bolsonaro  has achieved the best assessment in his mandate.

According to the Datafolha survey released on Friday, August 15th, the number of Brazilians who consider the government excellent or good has grown since June, from 32 to 37 percent. However, the drop in the rate of those who consider the administration bad or terrible was more pronounced: it fell from 44 to 34 percent – similar to the figure recorded at the start of his term, considering the two percentage points error margin. The rate of those who assess management as only fair stands at 27 percent (it was 23 percent in June).

The institute interviewed 2,065 people by phone on August 11th and 12th. In the nearly two months between the latest survey and the preceding one, the country doubled the number of deaths – approximately 52,000 on June 23rd, the survey’s date – and nearly tripled the number of infections – about 1.15 million at the time.

Since then, the President contracted the virus – which has infected eight of his Ministers to date, infected the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, and led her grandmother to her death – yet he has not changed his denialist remarks, where he classified the virus as a “minor flu” at the start of the pandemic and failed to take responsibility for the health crisis, which he delegated to governors and mayors.

The management of the pandemic is has been entrusted to the third Minister of Health, General Eduardo Pazuello, who has temporarily held the post for three months, albeit with no experience in the area. The accusations of omission in the control of Covid-19 led to complaints against Bolsonaro in the International Criminal Court of The Hague and the filing of the 56th motion for impeachment in the Chamber of Deputies.

But it was also during this period that the reach of what is considered the government’s trump card for retaining its popularity grew. The R$600 emergency aid, granted to casual workers, the unemployed, and Bolsa Família (Family Grant) beneficiaries, was extended and reached half of all Brazilian families in June, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). According to Datafolha, among those who benefited from the aid, 42 percent consider the government to be excellent or good, above the general average, while among those who failed to apply for the aid, the approval rate stands at 36 percent.

The emergency aid also seems to have an impact on the President’s image in the Northeast, a traditional PT (worker’s Party) stronghold where 45 percent of the population applied for the program (the rate in the country is 40 percent, according to the survey). Rejection of Bolsonaro dropped markedly in the region, from 52 to 35 percent, reported Datafolha.

The President, who criticized the isolation measures and the resulting economic shutdown to contain the pandemic, enjoys his highest approval among entrepreneurs (58 percent rate the government as excellent or good), people aged 35 to 44 (45 percent), men (42 percent) and residents of the South, North, and Midwest (42 percent). His rejection is highest among students (56 percent rate him as bad or terrible), blacks (48 percent), people with higher education (47 percent), people earning over ten minimum wages (47 percent), and women (39 percent).

In June, when the President’s rejection reached its peak, the survey had been conducted a few days after the arrest of Fabrício Queiroz, Bolsonaro’s friend for over 30 years and his son Flávio’s ex-adviser, now a senator, in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro, accused of running a kickback scheme diverting money from cabinet staff. The former police officer was placed under house arrest, which was revoked on Thursday evening by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), and is expected to return to jail.

The siege of Bolsonaro’s longtime ally and his wife, Marcia Aguiar, who also had her arrest decreed, the news about new transfers from the couple to the first lady, prompted the President to soften the tone of his statements in recent months and intensify his rapprochement to Congress. The alliance with the group of legislators known as Centrão reached its peak this week when the government’s leadership in the Chamber was changed.

Vitor Hugo, Bolsonaro’s first ally, was replaced by Ricardo Barros, representative of the Centrão bloc known for its “you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours” history. The move is an attempt to shield the presidency from impeachment petitions and clear the way for the approval of measures that could help improve its popularity.

Source: El País