BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff urged ministers at her first meeting with the new cabinet on Thursday to focus on the country's staggering economy, Chief of Staff Jaques Wagner said.
The meeting was called by the president on Wednesday after the government failed for the fourth time to get enough support to hold a vote in Congress on whether to back or overturn Rousseff's vetoes of two spending bills despite a cabinet reshuffle last week meant to bolster her support.
"The president clearly told ministers that the economy is the main agenda," Wagner, one of the new ministers who took over last Friday, told reporters after the meeting.
The new ministers said during the meeting that they will work with members of their parties to increase support for future votes on critical bills, according to Wagner.
Rousseff's government is depending on the approval of several measures sent to Congress to balance the country's accounts and avoid a deficit in 2016.
Brasilia is also keen to see Congress uphold Rousseff's vetoes on a couple of laws that have the potential to greatly increase spending.
Wagner said that the failure to gather enough support to hold a vote in Congress this week meant the vetoes are still in place, which is not the worst thing for the government.
He said Congress' behavior this week after the cabinet reshuffle signals some accommodation, which should give way to more support once lawmakers are assured of how the new structure will work. He dismissed further changes on the cabinet.
"The (cabinet) adjustments have already been done. What we have to do now is to closely follow the behavior of allied parties in Congress and demand a coherent attitude," he said.
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