MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obvious: Brazilians split over pensions' reform, but support for Bolsonaro remains solid

MDA poll shows 45.6% of respondents disapprove of the proposed pension reform, while 43.4% said they approve. The rest said they did not know or did not respond

Brazilians are split on a proposed overhaul of the country’s pension system, a poll showed on Tuesday, while most said they approve of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s performance.

In one of the first major surveys since Bolsonaro’s Jan. 1 inauguration, 45.6% of respondents said they disapprove of the proposed pension reform, while 43.4% said they approve. The rest said they did not know or did not respond.

It was the first time a poll, conducted by the MDA institute and commissioned by the CNT transportation lobby, directly asked respondents if they approved of pension reform. Other polls in the past year have shown large swings in voter opinion on pension reform, from over two-thirds against to figures in line with the MDA survey.

Bolsonaro’s proposal to address a widening pension deficit by raising taxes, delaying retirements and creating individual savings accounts is the cornerstone of his economic agenda.

Last week, the president delivered his proposal to Congress, aiming to save over 1 trillion reais (US$ 266 billion) in the next decade. Most economists agree the system must be overhauled to shore up public finances and foster growth.

On Bolsonaro’s popularity, 57.5% approved of his performance, while 28.2% disapproved and 14.3% did not offer an opinion. In the survey, 38.9% said Bolsonaro’s government was “good” or “excellent,” 29% said it was “regular” and 19% said it was “bad” or “terrible.”

MDA surveyed 2,002 Brazilians between Feb. 21 and 23. The poll has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.