Brazil protesters demand Temer’s resignation
THE DE FACTO President of Brazil, Michel Temer, asked at the weekend for the suspension of an investigation against him which stems from a recently-leaked audio recording in which he is heard giving his approval to bribes to buy the silence of the former president of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha.
Temer reiterated on Thursday that he was not going to quit as president of Brazil and claimed that the audio was part of a plan to jeopardise his leadership.
However, Brazilians have taken to the streets en masse to demand Temer’s resignation and the holding of immediate elections, although the consitution would have to be amende in order for elections to be held prior to 2018.
A growing number of social movements, organised by Popular Brasil Front, other trade unions and People Without Fear, have called for mass mobilisations culminating in a civic occupation of Brasilia called Occupy Brasilia on Wednesday.
Other groups participating in Occupy Brasilia include Central Workers Union, Rural Landless Workers Movement, and the Roofless Workers Movement (MSTS). They are seeking an end to all labour reforms and pension-cut proposals, as well as the selling of national companies and large swaths of land.
Occupy Brasilia organisers are hopeful that their mass demonstrations will be a crucial moment leading to the removal of Temer, who oversaw the ousting of democratically re-elected Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
Temer’s time in the presidency has been characterised by widespread unpopular austerity measures, such as cuts to social security, retirement pensions and health care, as well as multiple scandals.
Occupy Brasilia was scheduled prior to the release of the publication of the wire tap, which implicated Temer in a string of bribes.
Josue Rocha, a member of MSTS, said: “Our journey to Brasilia, besides our intention of conclusively bringing an end to these reforms, will be decisive in our demands for Temer’s removal and immediate democratic elections.”
Joesley Batista, owner of Brazilian meat company, JBS, confessed on Friday that Temer had received bribes from his company since 2010.
That year alone he reportedly received roughly $1 million (R132m) from JBS and during Rousseff ’s impeachment process had received about $85 000 for online political marketing expenditures, said Batista.
The wire tap also revealed that Temer confirmed, “Look, you’ve got to keep that up,” when Batista confided that bribes were being paid to Eduardo Cunha, former speaker of Brazil’s lower house of representatives.
These illegal payments were made to keep Cunha’s mouth shut about embarrassing secrets that could jeopardise the legitimacy of Temer’s presidency.
Last week, a survey found that 87% of Brazilians favoured the immediate removal of Temer and 88% supported his impeachment, resignation, or his removal by the Supreme Court.