Mourão once again outlines the action plan of the elected government and compares Brazil to a 'horse'.

247 - Vice President-elect Hamilton Mourão is once again at the forefront of planning the government's actions. He gives a lengthy interview to the newspaper Valor, offering opinions, criticisms, and outlining courses of action with the usual and surprising ease for a vice president. Mourão says the government will "dismantle" the State. He states: "We have a lot to do, in reality, to undo. A dismantling (...) I've already made this comparison, I like horses, I like riding, I've already said that Brazil is an Olympic horse capable of jumping 1.80 meters, but it's all tied up, it only jumps 0,70 cm."

In an interview with the newspaper ValorMourão spoke about almost everything, from economics to politics, from reforms to conceptions of the State. 

Regarding the economy, the vice-president stated: "The economy is the driving force in fixing the situation the country is facing. We had a preliminary meeting last week, and it was determined that on January 14th, which will be the first official ministerial meeting, all ministers will have to present their plans and goals for the first 100 days, to be approved by the president. In this preliminary meeting, some ministers who already had some prior knowledge presented a more objective view of what lies ahead, while others are still getting a handle on the situation."

Regarding the pension reform, Mourão said: "I think it will have to be used, even because of the time constraints. If we go back to square one, we won't be able to produce anything next year. An addendum here and there could be made within the vision we have. But what is being worked on, I don't have concrete details on that, it will only be presented at the January meeting. But we have to use what's there and add something more, which is allowed by the internal regulations of Congress, so that we can try to pass this in the first semester."

Mourão also spoke about trade liberalization: "Regarding trade liberalization, we will have to do a phased approach, because our industry cannot withstand a shock of opening up overnight. We will have to do it in stages. In a meeting I had with industry people, I used a term that belonged to President (Ernesto) Geisel (1974-1979) which said it should be 'slow, gradual and safe,' and I think trade liberalization has to be done that way, because we will not withstand a shock."

Interest rates: "Our tax burden is in the range of 35% to 37% of GDP. The State takes 45% of GDP and doesn't give it back. If it did give it back, if we had top-quality hospitals, wonderful schools, fantastic roads, everyone would be fine, but we don't. It's just to sustain a machine that's heavy in terms of personnel and heavy in terms of infrastructure."

State Reform: "It's a difficult thing, because what room for maneuver is there? There are the appointed positions, which within the federal government have a cabalistic number of around 23, but if you add it up across the entire federation structure, it would reach 120. Including bonus positions, appointed positions, state employees, and that's excluding those who passed competitive exams. From all entities combined, the three levels. It's an army."

And political articulation: "we have to conduct an awareness campaign, both in Congress and among the population. The average person, the citizen who doesn't study much, has preconceived ideas about the role of the state in their future life. We have to explain this, because if it doesn't happen (the reform), nobody will have a future. But if it is approved, it will bring more confidence to the country from investors."