Brazil in Davos: President Bolsonaro will defend reforms and trade liberalization

Photo: Adriano Machado - Reuters

The Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will outline his government’s economic reform agenda and plans to increase trade with the rest of the world during his speech at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos today.

Bolsonaro, a far-right former Army captain who took office on Jan. 1st vowing to end years of graft and crack down on violent criminals, will also pledge to lower rampant bureaucracy in Brazil, which many view as a drag on the country’s stuttering economy.

Bolsonaro’s 40-minute speech is scheduled for Wednesday, and he will also highlight efforts to simplify the economy, while pledging to give legal certainty to investors and defend the rule of law.

Bolsonaro is also expected to comment on the situation in neighboring Venezuela, which is undergoing an unprecedented crisis and growing international pressure against the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.

A long-standing critic of Maduro, Bolsonaro has ruled out military action to overthrow the current government, but said last week that a solution for Venezuela will come “briefly,” without giving details of how that would happen.

On his return from Davos, Bolsonaro will settle on a model for its pension reform proposal, his chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, said on Tuesday.

Sources: Agência Brasil, Reuters

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