Loss in Datafolha poll intensifies Tombini-Mantega divide.
The hunt for the Finance Minister position takes on a new context; the Central Bank president becomes the orthodox candidate; an eight-point drop in President Dilma Rousseff's popularity is attributed by Datafolha to the perception of inflation; the numbers are taken as certain and the reason is accepted; traditional media are already calling for Alexandre Tombini's promotion to Guido Mantega's position; contradictions between the two are being exploited; will Dilma get involved?
247 – The hunt for Minister Guido Mantega's job has gained a political number: 8 percentage points. This was the reduction in President Dilma Rousseff's popularity recorded by the Datafolha institute since March. According to the same source, the reason for the drop is the perception of inflation among the population. This assessment is proving sufficient for the so-called market to increase pressure not only for Mantega's removal, but for his direct replacement by none other than Alexandre Tombini, president of the Central Bank.
The move to replace Mantega with Tombini is gaining traction in the mainstream media. On CBN radio, journalist Kennedy Alencar, also known for his reliable sources within the PT (Workers' Party), dedicated his entire morning show on Monday the 10th to recommending Tombini's appointment to the Finance Ministry. According to him, this is the only way to demonstrate a genuine commitment to price stability to the market. Meanwhile, in Brasília, journalist Denise Rotthemburg, who also has access to qualified government sources, points to a "musical chairs" scenario within the Ministry, due to the consequent rise of Aécio Neves (PSDB) in the presidential race.
247 It has been determined that President Dilma is not so susceptible to making abrupt changes in her team. The president has not been alarmed by the fluctuation in her popularity, and believes that the recipe for recovering the upward trend is to keep the job market strong. The IGP of 0,37% in May, lower than that recorded in April, helped to ease tensions about reshuffling in the economic area.
Dilma continues to believe in the formulas applied by Mantega. At the same time, however, it was Dilma herself who encouraged Tombini to occupy large spaces in the media in defense of raising interest rates. The president thus worked with her two economic advisors in different positions, taking on the mission of allowing one to run ahead of the other. A complicated team game, but one that she seems willing to play without concessions to the first pressures.
listen here Kennedy Alencar's commentary that aired this Monday on CBN radio.