In the United States, the state government mission reached its third and final phase this Friday in the city of Austin, Texas. Governor Eduardo Leite’s (PSDB) return on Monday, however, is still uncertain. That is because, since Thursday, Leyte has been trying to anticipate his return to Brazil for Sunday, with political discussions over the presidential succession looming.
Although the movement does not materialise, the party adheres to the planned commitments. This Friday was the only scheduled tour of Dell’s headquarters in the city. “It is an important technology company in the state. We want to maintain this approach in an effort to strengthen investment (of the company) in our economy”, Leite elaborated. The company already has a unit established in the city of Eldorado do Sul. The visit is a way of ensuring a good neighborly policy in the event of frequent investment disputes between cities and states. “Sometimes it is not just about bringing in investments (in the RS), but keeping those we already have in the state. Since we know they are harassed from other places”, he said.
This Saturday, the governor will speak at SXSW (Southwest to South), which brings together a set of festivals in the fields of technology, innovation, film and music. On Sunday, the only commitment was to visit the event.
Before Austin, the crew passed through New York and Washington DC. In the North American capital, Leite’s final commitment was negotiations for financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
For a few months now, the RS government has been negotiating a US$500 million funding with the IDB to relieve the state’s debt, estimated to be around $16 billion. Despite the governor’s optimism, the agreement is expected to be signed by the end of the year.
*With information from Guilherme Baumhardt
