Bolsonaro presidential decree grants sweeping powers over NGOs in Brazil

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the handover of his new Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva in Brasilia, Brazil January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro has used an executive order to give his government secretary potentially far-reaching and restrictive powers over non-governmental organizations working in Brazil.

The temporary decree, which will expire unless it is ratified within 120 days by Congress, mandates that the office of the Government Secretary, Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, "supervise, coordinate, monitor and accompany the activities and actions of international organizations and non-governmental organizations in the national territory."