Dilma's popularity falls, stock market goes up

Last week Dilma's popularity fell considerably. The percentage of people that evaluate positively her government dropped from 43% to 36% during the first quarter of the year. The survey news were picked up by the major newspapers in the country, namely O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo. Latter both newspapers said the slip in the president's approval (that means Dilma's reelection is under threat) was welcomed by the market, given the valuation of the national currency and the positive closure of the São Paulo stock exchange.

Stories about the 50 years of the military coup d'etat continued to be featured in the media. This monday, Dilma Rousseff, herself a victim of torture during the militar dictatorship period, defended the amnesty law (that basically prevented the conviction of military personnel involved in the dictatorship crimes, and was being questioned by the Bar in Brazil). Her past as a leftist militant is a trump she is likely to use again during the campaign. In her speech she addressed the two former presidents both also opponents from the dictatorship: Fernando Henrique Cardoso, whom she called an exiled, and Lula, whom she called a union leader. 

"I don't deserve to be raped", photos like
this were on social media to fight sexism

Dilma also used the internet on monday to address a victim of today's Brazil reminiscent conservatives, the journalist Nana Queiroz, that started last week a social media movement to raise awareness to a survey that showed 65% of Brazilian people believe a woman that has been raped deserved to be so either because she behaved or dressed inappropriately. Nana took a picture naked from the waste up, covering her breasts with a poster saying: I don't deserve to be raped. The campaign went viral, with several women adhering, and taking similar pictures. The problem was that Nana received several threats both from men and women, and decided to remove her page from Facebook. Using her Twitter, Dilma said Nana deserve respect and solidarity.

If in the dictatorship's speech and in the latter social media manifestations Dilma did good, the president's performance on the economic front continues to disappoint. The latest forecasts for inflation, featured in Folha de S. Paulo this Tuesday shows a 40% chance of the price index finishing the year above its 6,5% ceiling. It would be the first time this would happen since 2003, and a very bad sign for a government looking to win back the market. O Globo also featured another Achilles' heel of Dilma, the investigation over corruption in Petrobras, the big oil state company. The preliminary investigations from the company showed no sign of corruption in one of the two cases, the dutch platform supplier SBM bribe to Petrobras employees.