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Temer Administration Expects Friday Strike to Escalate

04/28/2017 - 11h18

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GUSTAVO URIBE
MARINA DIAS
FROM BRASÍLIA

The Temer administration believes that the general strike which will take place on Friday (the 28th) is significant and even bigger than the strike that took place in March when bus and subway lines were shut down.

According to a survey that was requested by the administration, since the beginning of the week there has been a pro-strike trend.

A sharp rise in adhesion to the strike took place over the last couple of days.

The president's aides admit that they think that demonstrations will be big and they are also expecting an escalation that will include picket lines and barriers cutting off access to places such as the Congonhas airport in São Paulo, lending the demonstrations a more influential appearance.

Temer picked the Minister of Justice, Osmar Serraglio, to issue statements to the press throughout the day.

The idea is to send a message that the government will be monitoring the demonstration closely and staying in touch with security agencies in each state, while also conveying that it will not tolerate violence or a state of chaos.

Police clashed with demonstrators in several cities, blocking protesters from entering airports and firing tear gas in efforts to free roadways.

An initial assessment concluded that demonstrations would be limited to left-wing groups, but surveys demonstrated that both social media and unions were highly mobilized.

However, it did also conclude that the demonstrations will pretty much be confined to bigger urban areas and will not reach medium or small-sized municipalities.

Such predictions have led to a growing concern regarding the amount of pressure projected toward Temer's governing coalition and against the proposed pension reform. This could lead to a risk of betrayal where congressmen who make up the coalition could end up voting against the bill.

This scenario was presented to the president who, according to an ally, replied by saying that "this strike is not good, but we must face it".

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