Leader survives vote on corruption charges in Congress

BRASILIA, Brazil — President Michel Temer survived a key vote Wednesday night on whether he should be tried on corruption charges, mustering support in Brazil’s lower house of Congress despite abysmal approval ratings and widespread rejection among his countrymen.

To avoid being suspended and put on trial for charges of obstruction of justice and leading a criminal organization, the president needed the support of at least one third of the 513 deputies in the Chamber of Deputies.

He reached the threshold of 171 about two hours into the voting. The final tally was 251 in support of Temer and 233 against. The remaining were abstentions and absences.

Temer survived a similar vote in August on a separate bribery charge.

The opposition, which spent much of the day maneuvering to postpone the vote, blasted Temer.

“I vote with more than 90 percent of Brazilians who have already convicted Temer’s corrupted administration,” said lawmaker Luiza Erundina.

While it was a clear win for Temer, the president has become so weakened by repeated scandals that it remains to be seen whether he can muster support for key reforms. Temer, then vice president, took over last year after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office. His term goes until Dec. 31, 2018.

Many feel the administration lacks legitimacy because of how Temer came to power. Temer’s approval rating is around 3 percent, according to recent polls.

The 77-year-old spent recent weeks shoring up his support, doling out local projects, plum positions and favorable decrees. In the end, he didn’t get as much support as he did in August, when 263 voted in his favor and 227 opposed.

In both votes, the number of supporters came well below the 308 votes, or three-fifths of the chamber, he would need to pass major reforms such as a proposed overhaul of the pension system.

Congressman Alessandro Molon, who voted against Temer, summed up the predictions of many political observers after the vote.

“We are going to be stuck with a lame-duck president for one more year,” Molon said.