Jair Bolsonaro can breathe a bit. This 1er February, the two candidates who won his favor were each widely elected at the head of the two chambers of the Brazilian Congress, postponing, for a time at least, the opening of an impeachment process against him.
In the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, affiliated with the Democrats Party (DEM), won in the first round, garnering support on the left and on the right. But in Brasilia, all eyes were first on the Chamber of Deputies. The president of the latter indeed has the upper hand over the initiation of impeachment proceedings against the Head of State. After a disputed race, again, the candidate of power, Arthur Lira, leader of the Progressive Party (PP), finally emerged largely victorious.
“I am a deputy like the others (…), all glory is ephemeral”, said with humility the latter, taking possession of his austere black chair, enthroned in front of the assembly. Swearing to“Helping the people to cope with the pains and tragedies of the pandemic” (225,000 deaths in Brazil), Arthur Lira has repeatedly praised his “Neutrality”, stressing his wish to stand “Equidistance” of all political tendencies. At no time did he mention Jair Bolsonaro’s name.
His victory, however, he owes largely to the Head of State. In recent weeks, Jair Bolsonaro has put all his weight in the balance to ensure the election of MM. Lira and Pacheco. The two men indeed come from formations rallied since in power: two parties resulting from the famous “Centrao”, this soft underbelly of the Brazilian policy, made up of fifteen opportunist political movements of the center and right, controlling a third of seats of Parliament and changing alliance according to circumstances.
A member of Parliament for nearly three decades in Brasilia, Jair Bolsonaro has proven that he still has a perfect command of the subtle and obscene art of Brazilian parliamentary negotiation. In order to guarantee the victory of his associates, the president employed the great means, promising the direction of public bodies and ministries to the parties and parliamentarians: with the choice the citizenship, the work, the city or the health…
Threat of impeachment
Above all, Jair Bolsonaro offered so-called “centrist” deputies what they demanded the most: money. In December, according to daily information Estado de S. Paulo, the government would have thus released the substantial sum of 3 billion reais (460 million euros) in ” extraordinary appeal »For the financing of works and infrastructures in the constituencies of 285 parliamentarians, overwhelmingly favorable to the candidacies of power. Either outright vote buying, carried out in the open.
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