Overview
- Nearly 400 employees signed an open letter accusing the leadership of removing experienced officials over technical disagreements and eroding the institute’s institutional memory.
- The letter warns that strains on IBGE’s credibility risk harming public policies, budget decisions, federative relations and legal certainty in Brazil.
- IBGE formally shut down the IBGE+ foundation on February 23 to comply with a February 11 Tribunal de Contas da União decision that found its creation unlawful after a representation by deputy Gustavo Gayer.
- The TCU cited the absence of a specific enabling law, breach of the executive’s exclusive authority to create public bodies, lack of formal supervisory consent and failure to meet support‑foundation criteria; the AGU had opposed the initiative.
- Created in July 2024 to attract research and innovation funding, the foundation was suspended in early 2025 after staff raised risks such as data secrecy breaches and duplication, as unions and retirees back calls for stronger autonomy and changes to how the presidency is chosen.