Rio government declares 'public calamity' over finances ahead of Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Rio de Janeiro state government declared a state of "public calamity" on Friday, warning that extreme economic measures would need to be implemented to successfully host the Olympic Games in August.

The statement, published late Friday on the state government's web site, said that emergency actions are necessary to avoid a "total collapse in public safety, health, education, transport and environmental management."

Brazil has been mired in a sharp recession in the past two years, which has made it difficult to properly fund the estimated $10 billion the country is spending on Olympic venues and infrastructure projects to support the Games. Those costs have contributed to widespread protests throughout Brazil, as citizens complain that the money should be spent on hospitals, schools and emergency services instead.

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Friday's statement did not specify what emergency actions were necessary, but made it clear that not doing so would jeopardize the event.

"It is for the competent authorities to adopt exceptional necessary measures to rationalize all public services, with the aim of realizing the [Olympic] Games," the statement said.

Brazil has been in the midst of economic and political chaos leading up to the Games, which were awarded to Rio when the country was enjoying boom times.

A leading world supplier of natural resources, Brazil has suffered from a global economic slowdown, which has seen commodity prices fall sharply. The lost revenue has strained the Brazilian government's budget, which has provided generous subsidies to low-income families under a decade of leftist rule.

Adding to the economic woes are an upheaval in the government's leadership. President Dilma Rousseff was suspended last month by the Brazilian Senate, which will hold an impeachment trial on charges that she violated spending accounting rules.

At the same time, many of the country's top politicians have been ensnared in a bribery corruption scandal involving the state-run oil company, Petrobras.

Corruption charges also have swirled around interim President Michel Temer, who had been vice president prior to Rousseff's suspension, and there has been a steady shuffling of top government officials.

On Thursday, Tourism Minister Henrique Alves resigned after he was linked to the growing corruption scandal. He was the third top minister to step down in the past month.

The economic and political problems have sparked mass protests by supporters and opponents of Rousseff, and new demonstrations could pose a disruption for visitors attending the games.

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Contributing: Sam Cowie