Brazil plans to seek approval to lower pension reform by June

The speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress, Rodrigo Maia, said on Monday he will work to ensure that the government's bill to overhaul the country's costly pension system is approved in the first half of the year.

The bill's legislative process has been far from smooth, and is expected to undergo more debate and probable changes in Congress, which could delay it further, analysts say.

Maia spoke to reporters after meeting with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, who insisted that Maia and President Jair Bolsonaro have a strong working relationship and are making good progress on pension reform.