Rousseff To Support Early Call For Elections, Even In Event of Anti-Impeachment Win

04/26/2016 - 09h03

President Dilma Rousseff recognises that, even if Senate vote in her favour, she may be obliged to support the call for new presidential elections this year.

The Worker's Party (PT) National Summit, however, is putting pressure on those in government to give the initiative their backing even before the verdict on the President's fate.

In quiet discussions, the President has admitted that a period of 180 days out of office with Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) member Michel Temer as her substitute will create the "worst possible" conditions for her to return to governance afterwards.

In the words of a Presidential adviser, if Temer demonstrates even "the smallest amount of competence" in dealing with the crisis, the President's return to office, if no grounds are found for impeachment, will become completely impractical.

In order not to embarrass the President, the PT leadership has decided to put on hold its advocacy of the initiative; at least until the impeachment verdict is decided.

Ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told advisers and others connected with the party that the decision whether or not to advocate the initiative before the voting takes place should come from Rousseff herself, not from him.

The Workers' Party leadership however, is suggesting that the party embraces the alternative right after Temer takes office, which could happen any time after the second fortnight in May.

The objective is to reinforce the discourse that Temer does not have legitimacy to take on the role and that it would consequently be necessary to hold new presidential elections.

Apart from putting pressure on the Vice President, the defence of the proposal will also try to weaken his internal administration.

Last Tuesday (19), senators from the Workers' Party, the Brazilian Socialist Party, the Sustainability Network and the Popular Socialist Party presented a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution, asking for the right to hold presidential elections simultaneously with municipal elections.

This would mean that Presidential elections would be able to take place in October this year.

The initiative has the support of 30 senators and will have to be approved in two rounds, by Senate and by the lower house.

The defenders of the proposal themselves admit that it will be extremely difficult to convince both senators and congressmen to come to an agreement regarding the motion.

In response, Temer has begun a counter-offensive, aiming to diminish support for the proposal, especially in the lower house.

Translated by GILLIAN SOPHIE HARRIS

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