Temer wins time in graft scandal
BRAZILIA: Brazil’s embattled President Michel Temer won a small reprieve on Sunday when a key coalition partner delayed a decision on whether to abandon him over an explosive corruption scandal.
Nationwide street protests called by leftist groups also had only a modest impact, with no more than a few hundred people in each major city, further easing the sense of intense crisis for the centre-right president.
Mr Temer has been fighting for his political life since being placed under investigation for allegedly obstructing a corruption probe by paying hush money to the jailed former speaker of the house, Eduardo Cunha. Mr Temer is also accused of taking millions of reais in bribes.
On Sunday, the key ally to his centreright 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, the session was cancelled with no explanation.
Instead, Mr Temer met with ministers and legislators at the presidential residency, a spokesman for Mr Temer said. Earlier plans to host a dinner for the allies were dropped due to lower than hoped for attendance, Folha newspaper reported in an indication of Mr Temer’s struggle to retain loyalty.
Despite growing demands for his resignation or impeachment, Mr Temer argues that he is needed to keep steering economic reforms aimed at pulling Brazil out of a deep recession.
He has 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 tomorrow.
“He has won a bit of time,” said Gesner Oliveira, a professor at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro.
Clearly Mr Temer, who took over only a year ago after the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff, is teetering. Even in a country awash in corruption scandals the allegations against the veteran politician have been stunning.
Brazil’s bar association, the Order of Brazilian Lawyers, voted overwhelmingly late on Saturday to lodge an impeachment request with Congress, adding to at least eight already filed. The association was also influential in the impeachment of Ms Rousseff last year.
However, while Mr Temer can fight his corruption case in court, he will be doomed if he loses his support in Congress.
Brasilia is buzzing with speculation over whether the parties in his ruling coalition will decide to jump from a sinking ship or instead rally around Mr Temer. The PSB socialist party, with one minister in the government, quit on 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.
The tipping point could come as early as tomorrow. If the Supreme Court agrees to suspend the probe against Mr Temer, he will have a much better chance of rebuilding his alliance, analysts say. If the court rules that the probe continue as planned, mass desertion could follow. Mr If Temer were impeached or decided to step down, Congress would pick a replacement to rule until after scheduled 2018 elections.