It takes a lot to deter a Brazilian president from turning up to watch the national football team triumph on home turf. Yet Dilma Rousseff skipped the Selecao's 3-0 victory over Spain in the final of the Confederations Cup on June 30th, three weeks after the eruption of nationwide protests involving more than 1m people. A poll by Datafolha released the day before the final had shown that the government's approval rating had fallen by almost half since the protests, the biggest drop in more than 20 years. Ms Rousseff may have feared being booed, as she was at the beginning of the tournament. In a presidential election due next year, far more is at stake. The restive mood has hit all politicians. In Sao Paulo, where the demonstrations took off, the state governor and city mayor have seen steep falls in their popularity. In Rio de Janeiro, which saw the biggest marches, the governor's approval rating has fallen by more than half. There is "a generalised revolt against the way politicians are running the country," says Mauro Paulino, head of Datafolha. "Everyone wants answers."
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