Brazil corruption probe may mar able Maia's ambitions

Subject

A profile of Speaker of the House Rodrigo Maia.

Significance

Speaker of the House Rodrigo Maia has quickly become a key name in a Brazilian centre-right landscape that is otherwise short of skilled leaders, and in national politics more widely. In a country bitterly divided between the far-right of President Jair Bolsonaro and the centre-left, Maia has increasingly positioned himself as a moderate conservative, fiscally responsible but also socially sensitive.

Impacts

• Maia will be crucial to the success of passing Bolsonaro’s ambitious reform agenda.
• Maia’s unusual ability to negotiate effectively with politicians beyond his ideological field will be an asset going forward.
• The political scene could be gradually changing in favour of Maia’s centre-right camp.