Demanding better public services and angered by World Cup costs, about 100.000 people are expected at a protest Wednesday before Brazil plays Uruguay in the Confederations Cup semi-finals.
The Brazilian executive apparently has reached an understanding with the presidents of the Senate and the Lower House, Renan Calheiros and Henrique Eduardo Alves for a plebiscite with several questions referred to changes in electoral and party legislation, and eventually the Constitution relative to the political organization of South America’s largest country and powerhouse.
The leaders of the “Free Fares” movement that triggered the worst wave of street protests in two decades rocking the Brazilian government to its foundations said their meeting with President Dilma Rousseff was ‘unsatisfactory’ because there were “no concrete proposals”.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff proposed on Monday a popular referendum to implement sweeping political reforms in response to the country's largest public protests in 20 years. Rousseff called for a public vote to eventually amend Brazil's constitution as she tries to seize the momentum in a national debate set off by two weeks of increasingly disruptive demonstrations.
Joaquim Barbosa the black magistrate from Brazil’s Supreme Court and who won national acknowledgement as inflexible with corruption cases has become the preferred candidate for 2014 presidential elections by the thousands of protestors who took to the streets these last two weeks.
An overwhelming majority of Brazilians, 75% supports the two weeks street demonstrations demanding improved public services and complaining about the huge sums invested in stadiums for football world cups, according to a public opinion poll from Ibope and which was released in the latest edition of the weekly magazine Epoca.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff promised on Friday to hold a dialogue with members of a protest movement sweeping the country, but also said she would do whatever is necessary to maintain order.
Leaders of the Brazilian bishops' conference announced their support for the massive demonstrations sweeping across the country but declined to say how they might affect World Youth Day activities and the visit of Pope Francis in July.
The Pacific Alliance is a ‘marketing success’ and does not represent a concern for Mercosur since it does not have the potential for physical integration as other blocks from the region, said Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota during a congressional hearing this week in Brasilia.
FIFA at no stage has discussed the possibility of canceling the Confederations Cup, which has been overshadowed by protests sweeping Brazil, according to a brief statement on Friday from soccer’s main organization following on reports from the Brazilian media.