BNDES approved R$ 33 billion in credit for states and municipalities in the last two years.

247 - In the first two years of Lula's (PT) third term, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) approved R$33,1 billion in credit for states and municipalities, with R$24,7 billion going to states and R$8,4 billion to municipalities. This amount is three times greater than the amount approved in the two previous terms of Jair Bolsonaro and Michel Temer, which totaled only R$9,6 billion for the same levels of government. This information comes from the newspaper... The Globe.

“BNDES’s mechanisms for supporting states and municipalities were completely dismantled in the previous government. It took a great effort from our administration to resume this public policy and, following President Lula’s guidance to treat governors and mayors in a republican manner and considering the debt capacity of each federative entity as defined by the Ministry of Finance, we are supporting structural projects to improve the lives of the people at the grassroots level,” said the president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante.

The impressive number of approvals was highlighted by Lula at a meeting with newly elected mayors this week, where the president took the opportunity to reinforce his policy of rapprochement with leaders from different parties. In his speech, Lula guaranteed that public financial institutions would serve the interests of governors and mayors without ideological discrimination: "Under no circumstances will a bank, such as Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, BRB, Basa, or BNDES, fail to serve the interests of a governor or a city for ideological reasons."

The cities that stand out most in credit approvals are Rio de Janeiro, with R$ 2,5 billion, governed by Eduardo Paes (PSD), an ally of Lula; São Paulo, with R$ 2,5 billion, led by Ricardo Nunes (MDB), an opponent of the government; and Porto Alegre, with R$ 1 billion, governed by Sebastião Melo (MDB), who seeks to maintain a neutral position. The states that received the largest amounts are São Paulo, with R$ 11,3 billion, under the administration of Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), an ally of Bolsonaro; Pará, with R$ 3 billion, governed by Helder Barbalho (MDB); and Mato Grosso do Sul, with R$ 2,3 billion, led by Eduardo Riedel (PSDB).

The numbers show a significant contrast between the administrations, with BNDES data indicating that the average approval rate in the first two years of Lula's government is 36,9 times higher than that recorded during Jair Bolsonaro's government. While Lula's government released R$16,6 billion to date, Bolsonaro's government has approved only R$440 million for federated entities.