President Jair Bolsonaro's intention to freeze the salaries of all civil servants is proving unpopular in Congress, and his opposition hopes to overturn his veto of legislation that will allow some occupations to escape the freeze.
The dispute involves the civil service lobby, one of the most powerful in the Legislature. It will put to the test the relationship that Bolsonaro tries to build with the centão - group of independent parties that, together, represent a large part of Congress.
Minister Paulo Guedes (Economy) argues that the Union, states, and municipalities should not grant wage readjustments to civil servants until the end of 2021. But government leaders have joined the opposition and center parliamentarians to loosen the rule of the economic team.
On Thursday (7), Bolsonaro said that, at the request of Guedes, he should veto the device that saves some categories from the freeze, including sectors of the government's support base, such as police and Armed Forces officers.
Centão deputies prefer to adopt a cautious stance concerning a possible vote on this veto. This group negotiates with Bolsonaro political nominations for public office.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon