SAO PAULO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's benchmark Bovespa
index led declines among Latin American equities markets on
Tuesday, falling more than 1 percent amid persisting uncertainty
over the passage of pension reform legislation seen as key to
the nation's fiscal health.
    Speaking to journalists in Argentina late on Sunday,
President Michel Temer said a vote on streamlining Brazil's
social security system could be delayed until early 2018 as the
government struggles to gather support among lawmakers. On
Monday, Carlos Marun, a key lawmaker in Temer's Brazilian
Democratic Movement Party, told journalists the government still
lacked 40 to 50 votes. 
    An early 2018 vote would fall dangerously close to
parliamentary and presidential elections, making approval of the
unpopular measure less likely.
    "If it's not this year, it will be in the beginning of next
year," Temer said, according to a transcript of a news
conference.
    In separate comments on Tuesday, Rodrigo Maia, the speaker
of Brazil's lower house, said he was planning to put the pension
bill to a vote next week. He added that it was unclear if the
government had the support needed to pass the bill and send it
to the nation's senate.
    The Bovespa fell more than 1.2 percent in morning
trading, but firmed slightly after Maia's comments. By midday
the Bovespa was off 1.01 percent, while the nation's real
currency was down 0.58 percent.
    Among the nation's top performing stocks was private
education company Kroton Educacional SA, which rose
2.4 percent after previewing an aggressive expansion plan at an
investors' day on Monday.
    Other markets in Latin America were relatively quiet on
Tuesday. 
    Colombia's peso was the biggest mover on currency
markets, dropping 0.58 percent after Standard & Poor's lowered
the country's long-term foreign currency rating to BBB- on
Monday, citing the its weakened policy flexibility.
    
Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1359 GMT:
    
    
 Stock indexes                             daily %     YTD %
                               Latest       change    change
 MSCI Emerging Markets           1113,30      -0,6     29,89
                                                    
 MSCI LatAm                      2689,37     -1,14     16,22
                                                    
 Brazil Bovespa                 72069,55        -1     19,66
                                                    
 Mexico S&P/BVM IPC             47699,04      0,27      4,50
                                                    
 Chile IPSA                      5021,79      0,06     20,97
                                                    
 Chile IGPA                     25230,67      0,08     21,69
                                                    
 Argentina MerVal               27307,06         0     61,41
                                                    
 Colombia IGBC                  11068,78         0      9,29
                                                    
 Venezuela IBC                   1289,61     -0,23    -95,93 Currencies                                daily %     YTD %
                                            change    change
                                  Latest            
 Brazil real                      3,3151     -0,58     -1,99
                                                    
 Mexico peso                     19,0900     -0,14      8,66
                                                    
 Chile peso                        654,5      0,15      2,48
                                                    
 Colombia peso                   3029,56     -0,58     -0,93
 Peru sol                          3,234      0,00      5,57
                                                    
 Argentina peso (interbank)      17,2100      0,17     -7,76
                                                    
 Argentina peso (parallel)         17,88      0,00     -5,93
                                                    
 

 (Reporting by Gram Slattery)