Following weeks of mass protests nationwide that persisted into the weekend, Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff has proposed a referendum for political reform in a bid to subdue public dissatisfaction that has brought a million Brazilians onto the streets.
On Monday, Rousseff pledged to invest 50 billion reais ($25
billion) on public transportation projects, holding discussions
with state governors and mayors to find ways to defuse the
demonstrations that have sprouted in some 80 municipalities
across Brazil.
Protesters planned to continue gatherings in Sao Paulo, Belo
Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, while small pockets of violence
were reported over the weekend in smaller cities, such as
Salvador.
In a bid to appease the major demands at play among the
protesters, Rousseff met with representatives of the Free Pass
Movement, a group that advocates for free public transport and
which was instrumental to organizing initial protests triggered
by proposed hikes to bus and subway services across the country.
In Sao Paulo, many of the throngs of demonstrators complained of
insufficient investment in underground rail, currently a very
limited service in relation to the size of the bustling
metropolis, the largest city in Brazil and the world’s
seventh-largest city by population.
Over the weekend, the more than 250,000 protesters that took to
the streets voiced their opposition to legislation known as PEC
37, which would transfer power from federal prosecutors to
investigate crimes.
Those proposed reforms were seen as a symptom of endemic
corruption for the country, on the heels of an investigation that
unraveled the biggest corruption case in Brazil's history - the
"mensalão"
cash-for-votes scheme that came to light in 2005, and ensnared
the highly popular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The timing of that legislation meant that it was added to an
already lengthy list of demands by protesters, which all focus on
what is seen as misdirected public spending on glitzy sporting
events like the 2014 World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup,
at the expense of public services.
Rousseff has been quick to welcome peaceful protests, and on
Monday announced her government’s intention to focus on five
policy “pacts” for the country, including fiscal stability, a
public referendum to form a Constituent Assembly for reform, and
investment in education, health and public transportation.
Just prior to the nationwide protests Rousseff’s government had
introduced a plan to hire medical professionals from abroad, a
plan that was not well received by Brazil’s medical community as
it was seen to introduce unfair competition for available
positions. In response, the president stressed that Brazil’s
doctors would always be considered ahead of international
applicants.
It remained unclear whether the latest announcements would be
seen as resolving the demands of protesters, many of which have
vowed to stay on the streets until they feel concrete measures
are being taken to reform Brazil’s political system and tackle
corruption.
During her remarks on Monday, Rousseff pointed out that Brazil’s
demonstrations were a reflection of social inclusion, and that
“now the people on the streets
want more.”