BRASILIA: Brazil’s embattled President Michel Temer won a reprieve Sunday when a key coalition partner delayed a decision on whether to abandon him over an explosive corruption scandal.
Street protests called by leftist groups around the country also appeared to have had only a modest impact, further easing the sense of intense crisis for the center-right president.
Temer has been fighting for his political life since being placed under investigation for allegedly obstructing a corruption probe by paying hush money to jailed former speaker of the house Eduardo Cunha. Temer is also accused of taking millions of reais in bribes.
On Sunday the key ally to his center-right PMDB party, the PSDB social democrats, had been set to decide whether to withdraw — potentially dealing the government of Latin America’s biggest country a death blow.
However, less than five hours before the session was scheduled to start, a spokesman for the party told AFP it had been canceled.
Instead, Temer was meeting with ministers and legislators at the presidential residency, a spokesman for Temer said. Earlier plans to host a dinner for the allies were dropped due to lukewarm responses, Folha newspaper reported in yet another indication of Temer’s struggle to retain authority.
Despite growing demands for his resignation or an impeachment trial, Temer argues that he is needed to steer economic reforms aimed at pulling Brazil out of a deep recession.
He has also asked the Supreme Court to suspend the investigation into his alleged crimes, arguing that the main evidence — a secretly recorded audio — had been doctored. The court is due to examine this Wednesday.
Temer, who took over only a year ago after the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff, is clearly teetering. Even in a country awash in corruption scandals the allegations against Temer have been stunning.
Brazil’s bar association, the Order of Brazilian Lawyers, voted overwhelmingly late Saturday to lodge an impeachment request with Congress, adding to at least eight already filed. The association was also influential in the impeachment of Rousseff last year.
However, demonstrations by leftist groups in the capital Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities fizzled. Trade unions had called for nationwide protests to demand that Temer step down, but crowds numbered only in their hundreds at each main city.
A parallel set of protests called by more rightwing groups was abruptly canceled.
For now, Temer’s fate appears to lie principally with Congress where his center-right PMDB party has a powerful alliance with the PSDB and numerous partners. They have been crucial to Temer’s push for austerity reforms, which are hated by ordinary Brazilians but praised by economists.
Temer’s chief strategy is to prevent his coalition’s disintegration while fighting the investigation in the Supreme Court.
The PSB socialist party, with one minister in the government, quit Saturday.
But the crucial PSDB has sent mixed signals, with some leaders calling for withdrawal and others urging calm so that economic reforms can go ahead. The PSDB has four ministers, and with 47 lower house deputies and 10 senators it represents an important voting bloc both for approving reforms — and, if comes to that, for deciding on impeachment.
If Temer were impeached or decided to step down, Congress would pick a replacement to rule until after scheduled 2018 elections.
Many ordinary Brazilians on both the left and right are calling for an amendment to the law to allow a snap popular election.
Temer’s crisis stems from the gigantic corruption investigation know as “Car Wash” that has upended Brazilian politics.
Scores of politicians have been indicted or subjected to probes into alleged bribe-taking and embezzlement, with Temer only the latest and highest-profile to be pulled into the maelstrom.
At the heart of his problems is a conversation he had with an executive from the JBS meat-packing business in which the president allegedly gives his blessing to monthly payments of hush money to Cunha.
Cunha is in prison after a “Car Wash” judge convicted him of bribe-taking, but the powerful insider has long been rumored to be threatening to spill secrets on other politicians.
Temer says he never paid hush money and says the secret recording of his conversation with the executive was misinterpreted, and that the recording itself has been distorted.
Street protests called by leftist groups around the country also appeared to have had only a modest impact, further easing the sense of intense crisis for the center-right president.
Temer has been fighting for his political life since being placed under investigation for allegedly obstructing a corruption probe by paying hush money to jailed former speaker of the house Eduardo Cunha. Temer is also accused of taking millions of reais in bribes.
On Sunday the key ally to his center-right PMDB party, the PSDB social democrats, had been set to decide whether to withdraw — potentially dealing the government of Latin America’s biggest country a death blow.
However, less than five hours before the session was scheduled to start, a spokesman for the party told AFP it had been canceled.
Instead, Temer was meeting with ministers and legislators at the presidential residency, a spokesman for Temer said. Earlier plans to host a dinner for the allies were dropped due to lukewarm responses, Folha newspaper reported in yet another indication of Temer’s struggle to retain authority.
Despite growing demands for his resignation or an impeachment trial, Temer argues that he is needed to steer economic reforms aimed at pulling Brazil out of a deep recession.
He has also asked the Supreme Court to suspend the investigation into his alleged crimes, arguing that the main evidence — a secretly recorded audio — had been doctored. The court is due to examine this Wednesday.
Temer, who took over only a year ago after the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff, is clearly teetering. Even in a country awash in corruption scandals the allegations against Temer have been stunning.
Brazil’s bar association, the Order of Brazilian Lawyers, voted overwhelmingly late Saturday to lodge an impeachment request with Congress, adding to at least eight already filed. The association was also influential in the impeachment of Rousseff last year.
However, demonstrations by leftist groups in the capital Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities fizzled. Trade unions had called for nationwide protests to demand that Temer step down, but crowds numbered only in their hundreds at each main city.
A parallel set of protests called by more rightwing groups was abruptly canceled.
For now, Temer’s fate appears to lie principally with Congress where his center-right PMDB party has a powerful alliance with the PSDB and numerous partners. They have been crucial to Temer’s push for austerity reforms, which are hated by ordinary Brazilians but praised by economists.
Temer’s chief strategy is to prevent his coalition’s disintegration while fighting the investigation in the Supreme Court.
The PSB socialist party, with one minister in the government, quit Saturday.
But the crucial PSDB has sent mixed signals, with some leaders calling for withdrawal and others urging calm so that economic reforms can go ahead. The PSDB has four ministers, and with 47 lower house deputies and 10 senators it represents an important voting bloc both for approving reforms — and, if comes to that, for deciding on impeachment.
If Temer were impeached or decided to step down, Congress would pick a replacement to rule until after scheduled 2018 elections.
Many ordinary Brazilians on both the left and right are calling for an amendment to the law to allow a snap popular election.
Temer’s crisis stems from the gigantic corruption investigation know as “Car Wash” that has upended Brazilian politics.
Scores of politicians have been indicted or subjected to probes into alleged bribe-taking and embezzlement, with Temer only the latest and highest-profile to be pulled into the maelstrom.
At the heart of his problems is a conversation he had with an executive from the JBS meat-packing business in which the president allegedly gives his blessing to monthly payments of hush money to Cunha.
Cunha is in prison after a “Car Wash” judge convicted him of bribe-taking, but the powerful insider has long been rumored to be threatening to spill secrets on other politicians.
Temer says he never paid hush money and says the secret recording of his conversation with the executive was misinterpreted, and that the recording itself has been distorted.
