The Man Holding Brazil Together Is Not Jair Bolsonaro
Rodrigo Maia has succeeded where the president fails by patiently and painstakingly building coalitions—and power.
After getting wind of a possible congressional proposal to strip him of some powers, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro complained that the country’s lawmakers want to make him a ceremonial head of state, like the queen of England. That hasn’t happened yet, but when it comes to setting the nation’s legislative agenda, it’s clear who has the real power: Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the nation’s lower house.
On July 11, the 49-year-old politician from the center-right Democratas party pushed a revamp of Brazil’s generous social security system past its first and highest legislative hurdle. Pension reform is a necessity that has eluded four previous administrations. Before successfully getting it through the lower house, Maia had spent months uniting 17 fractious parties to finally deliver a measure expected to save almost 1 trillion reais ($267 billion) over the next decade. “Rodrigo Maia built a parliamentary base, which the government doesn’t do and doesn’t have,” says Alexandre Frota, a congressman from Bolsonaro’s own Social Liberal Party (PSL). “Brazil is going to thank him in the future.”