Let’s move forward to 2020. Bolsonaro announced that he would extend the federal COVID-19 emergency aid, which benefits low-income families and informal workers, through the end of the year. In late September, he also announced that the emergency aid would continue as the newly unveiled Renda Cidadã, Portuguese for “citizen income", a social program that seeks to replace Lula’s Bolsa Família.
What has changed?
Bolsonaro had a taste of popularity in 2020 after the pandemic took hold. In September, a month after announcing the extension of the emergency aid, Bolsonaro's government approval surged to a record 40% from 29% in December, according to a CNI/IBOPE survey.
In August 2017, when Bolsonaro was a pre-candidate for the 2018 election, he once again stated he would not use welfarism to rise to power. “If you want to run for president, you have to say you are going to expand Bolsa Família. So, go and vote for another candidate. I will not stoop to using demagogy and pleasing whoever it is to get a vote,” he promised.
Yet, he came up with Renda Cidadã, going against what he preached for years as a congressman. Bolsonaro tapped into Lula’s strategy, who expanded and created countless social projects for the country’s most vulnerable populations during his presidency in the early 2000s.
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