Augusto Cury Outlines Presidential Platform Focused on AI, Taxing Bets, and Government Restructuring

Augusto Cury, the presidential candidate for the Avante party, detailed a wide range of proposals during a televised interview with TV Globo on Saturday. Cury advocated for a significant increase in taxes on sports betting companies, suggesting a rate of 52 percent to help reduce the public debt by up to 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. He also proposed reducing the number of government ministries to between eight and ten, though he did not specify which ones would be cut. To modernize the state, Cury called for the creation of a Ministry of Public Security and a dedicated executive secretariat or ministry for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He argued that AI could replace the need for new public servants and should be used to evaluate the performance of current employees through specific indicators.

On social and health issues, Cury proposed that 80 percent of basic consultations in the Unified Health System (SUS) be conducted via telemedicine. This proposal led to questions regarding a potential conflict of interest, as Cury is a physician and was previously linked to a telemedicine company. Cury denied any current conflict and stated he is no longer an ambassador for the firm. To combat feminicide, he suggested using drones to provide early alerts and creating a georeferenced alert application for women. In education, he proposed the creation of 10,000 entrepreneurship clubs in schools, universities, and churches, as well as a Ministry of Entrepreneurship with a dedicated bank offering low interest loans.

Cury's economic plans include a minimum wage policy that guarantees inflation adjustment plus a 1 percent real gain annually. He also suggested splitting the BNDES into two separate banks: one for large companies and one for micro enterprises. Regarding foreign policy, Cury proposed training diplomats and embassy staff to act as digital influencers to better market Brazil as the supermarket of the world. On institutional reforms, he advocated for ending the life tenure of Supreme Court ministers, replacing the presidential system with a prime minister, and eliminating re-election.

Different news outlets framed these proposals in varying ways. Center left sources focused heavily on fact checking his claims, noting that his figures on betting revenues were significantly higher than official data and questioning the scientific validity of his psychological theories. Center right sources emphasized his focus on fiscal responsibility, the reduction of the state apparatus, and the modernization of the economy through AI. Center sources highlighted the contrast between his high personal net worth and his proposals for the poor, while also noting his use of self help style rhetoric during the interview.