Government puts Guedes on TV and Voz do Brasil to exalt economy 17 days before election

17 days before the elections, the government used the state radio and TV structure to broadcast 24 minutes of an interview with Minister Paulo Guedes extolling the performance of the economy in broadcast throughout Brazil.

To the state program Voz do Brasil, Guedes said that the country is growing, generating jobs and attracting investment. Without citing the PT, he also used the space to criticize previous governments.

The program is mandatory for radio stations across the country and was also broadcast by state-owned TV Brasil.

The interview is given at a time when reelection candidate Jair Bolsonaro (PL) remains in second place in the polls, ahead of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

“In the past, it was only the government that invested. And the government was broken by previous administrations, state-owned companies were broken, pension funds were broken, public banks with [apenas] for large companies, instead of taking care of small and medium [empreendedor]”, said.

“Unlike Venezuela, which is on the path of misery, Brazil is on the path of prosperity,” he added, using a classic comparison of Bolsonarism that seeks to associate the neighboring country with PT governments.

During the program, Guedes said that the country had hit “rock bottom”, but has returned. “Brazilians, be proud of the country, we are resuming growth and generating employment,” he said.

TV Brasil showed the video interview, with Guedes in the studio, accompanied by phrases in the lower sign such as “Brazil resumes economic growth and jobs” and “Since a pandemic, 17 million jobs created”.

The opening of the program also mentioned facts such as the revision of the official GDP projection from 2% to 2.7% and the payment of Auxílio Brasil.

Specialists say that speeches in the official structure with an electoral or partisan connotation can be framed in abuse and misuse of the media.

The minister took advantage of the broadcast to defend strategies to combat the pandemic – which killed almost 700,000 Brazilians and emergency aid. He said again that the Popular Pharmacy will be maintained (after cuts of more than 50% in the drug purchase program, which generated an alert in the campaign due to the repercussion of the theme).

He also mentioned the War in Ukraine to claim that Brazil will suffer less economic impacts than the rest of the world.

“We had warned that the Brazilian economic policy of reaction to the pandemic, maintaining structural reforms, preserving jobs, saving lives, vaccinating the population, would have an effect,” he said.

“Brazil is a safe haven in a world in turmoil. […] Brazil will continue to grow, inflation is going down, social programs will be maintained, Auxílio Brasil will be maintained, the Popular Pharmacy will be maintained, all social programs will continue, and Brazil will have better days,” he said.

The minister also gave a nod to informal workers, saying that this was a market “discovered in the pandemic” and to public servants.

“We interrupted readjustments for those who were well, such as the Brazilian civil service. […] The contribution of the Brazilian civil service was very important [para a economia brasileira”, afirmou Guedes, que se referiu aos servidores como parasitas em 2020.