75% of Brazilians think Bolsonaro going in 'right direction': poll

Three-quarters of Brazilians think their far-right president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro and his incoming government, are going in "the right direction," according to a poll published Thursday by the IBOPE survey institute. The poll, commissioned by the National Confederation for Industry, also found around almost as many of the 2,000 respondents had a negative opinion of the outgoing government of center-right President Michel Temer, who brought in austerity reforms. "Brazilians feel optimistic about 2019. Two out of three Brazilians believe the economic situation of the country will improve and a similar proportion hope their lives will improve or improve a lot over the next year," the survey said. Only 14 percent of those surveyed thought that Bolsonaro, who takes office January 1, is going in the "wrong direction." Eleven percent did not know or did not respond. The poll was conducted between November 29 and December 2 and had a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Bolsonaro, a veteran lawmaker with a meager legislative record, easily won the presidential election in October on promises to stamp out political corruption and crack down on crime -- major preoccupations for Brazil's population of 210 million. The 63-year-old former army captain overcame a long record of making disparaging comments against women, blacks and gays to convince the electorate. He has also vowed to reinvigorate Brazil's economy, which has been limping since it exited its worst-ever recession two years ago. An ardent admirer of US President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro has adopted a business-friendly stance, prioritized agribusiness and industry over the fight against climate change, promised to take Brazil out of a UN migration pact, and is mulling moving his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.