Brazil's Temer: disapproval unfortunate but not harmful to governance

Brazilian President Michel Temer said Thursday that though his rather low approval rate is unfortunate, it is not a deterrent to his governance.

In a press conference in Brasilia, the Brazilian president expressed his confidence in being recognized in the future for the measures his administration has announced.

Latest polls showed that only 13 percent of Brazilians consider Temer's administration good, while 46 percent see it bad or worse.

"There will be recognition later on," the president said. However, it remains unclear whether there will be some sort of positive recognition of Temer's measures in the future, as they were met with distrust and strong opposition from a number of experts and a significant part of society.

The president's educational reform has been regarded by several experts as not only unconstitutional, but also a move that will actively restrict the access of lower class students to higher education and lower the quality of public high school education.

The government's proposed social security reform has also caused deep resentment. If approved by the Congress, Temer's reform will make Brazilians work for longer with lower pensions.

Workers from physically demanding careers and rural workers will be the most affected, as the reform foresees that Brazilians will only be allowed to retire at the age of 65, regardless of the length of their service. Currently, a worker can retire after 30 years of work. The president himself will retire at 55.

The problem is that all the reforms Temer has been enacting so far go completely against the program for which he was re-elected vice president in 2010, along with running mate Dilma Rousseff. Endi