Brasilia, June 16 (RHC)-- Observers in Brazil say that a series of unpopular measures by the coup government of Michel Temer have made for an unhappy and pessimistic population. Over two-thirds of Brazilians negatively assess the coup government of Michel Temer, and 32 percent think he is even worse than expected.
According to a new poll by Vox Populi revealed in Brasilia, Temer was already a widely unpopular politician in Brazil, but his first month as president and a series of unpopular measures, as well as a few scandals, have pushed his approval ratings even further south.
Thirty-four percent of those polled view the Temer government negatively, 33 percent view it as “regular,” and only a mere 11 percent view it positively -- the remainder said they did not know or did not respond.
Respondents strongly disagreed with Temer's decision to name an all-white and all-male Cabinet, with 63 percent saying it was either an error or a serious error. A staggering 56 percent of people think social programs will suffer under Temer, a sharp increase since April.
Despite promising to keep social programs intact, Temer cut two of the flagship social programs implemented during the governments of Rousseff and her predecessor, Lula da Silva.
Fifty-four percent said cuts to the Minha Casa housing program were bad and would hurt a lot of people, while 48 percent said the same about the cuts to Bolsa Familia, which provides a direct subsidy to Brazil's poorest. The poll also found 52 percent expected unemployment to rise, 55 percent expect labor rights to suffer.
Many of the lawmakers who voted in favor of an impeachment trial cited ongoing corruption scandals as the reason behind their support. However, 44 percent of respondents now believe the fight against corruption will be worse under Michel Temer.