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Brazilian President's Approval Rating Drops


Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff delivers a speech at the Planalto palace in Brasilia, Aug. 8, 2011
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff delivers a speech at the Planalto palace in Brasilia, Aug. 8, 2011

A poll shows that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's personal approval rating has declined since March.

A Ibope poll released Wednesday shows President Rousseff's popularity fell six percentage points to 67 percent. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed described the president's administration as good. In an earlier survey, the approval rating for her government stood at 56 percent. Ms. Rousseff took office January 1.

The survey comes as the Rousseff government confronts political scandals and economic issues.

On Tuesday, police arrested the deputy tourism minister, Frederico da Costa, and at least 34 other people in a corruption sweep linked to funding for major sports events.

Last month, the transportation minister, Alfredo Nascimento, resigned in connection with a scandal over an alleged kickback scheme in his office.

President Rousseff's chief of staff, Antonio Palocci, stepped down June 7 following questions about how his personal wealth had increased sharply while he was a congressman in 2010. Palocci also served as a consultant at that time.

Separately, the government earlier this year announced $30 billion in budget cuts to curb rising inflation. Brazil is Latin America's biggest economy and is now considered one of the world's major emerging economies.

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