Political Parties Already Work Towards New Election in the Lower House of Congress

05/06/2016 - 09h54

One of the targets of the Brazilian Federal Police's Lava Jato operation, the Vice President of the lower house of Congress, Waldir Maranhão (PP-MA), has taken office and occupied the place left by Eduardo Cunha early in the morning, but there are no certainties whether he will stay in office.

The main opposing parties (PSDB, DEM, PPS and PSB) have demanded new elections to be held, although the lower house's technical team defends that Cunha's ousting does not lead to the so-called "vacant position," which would be the necessary condition to hold a new election.

The congressmen who are closest to Cunha and the parties of the so-called "main center block" (PP, PR, PTB, PSD, PRB and smaller parties) began the day also defending a new election.

Paulo Pereira da Silva (SD-SP) even took a proposal to Vice President Michel Temer (PMDB) to set Rogério Rosso (PSD-DF), the president of the impeachment commission against President Dilma Rousseff in the Lower House, as its temporary president until January 2017.

After the decision made by the Brazilian Supreme Court, however, the parties "main center block" changed their opinion and began to defend that Maranhão stay in office.

The PT wants Maranhão to stay in office until the Lower House judges the ousting process against Cunha, whose proceedings began in November in the Ethics Council.

It is expected that the elected representatives on the council will make a decision on the case at the beginning of June. The final decision will be made in plenary assembly. If Cunha is ousted, a new election will be held in up to five sessions.

Maranhão's first act as president of the lower house was to walk up to the head desk and end the ongoing morning session without further explanations.

As a protest, other congressmen carried on with an informal session, although the Lower House's microphones and speakers were off, with loud speeches against Cunha.

Some of them held signs that read "Bye, Darling," in a reference to the same sentence used by President Rousseff's adversaries during the voting session on her impeachment.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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	Alan Marques/Folhapress
	Members of the lower house of Congress hold signs in protest against the speaker Eduardo Cunha, in Brasilia