Seeking to Maintain Support, Temer Put Pressure on Senators

08/24/2016 - 11h08

In an attempt to avoid any last minute setbacks, the interim President, Michel Temer, began on Tuesday (23) to pressure senators from the North and the Northeast two days before the start of the final phase of the impeachment process.

As the two areas are considered Workers' Party (PT) strongholds, Planalto Palace's fear is that parliamentarians could be pressured to vote for suspended President Dilma Rousseff.

Moreover, the concern is that the emotional speech programmed by Rousseff for next Monday (29), in the Senate, can win her votes.

Until Thursday (25), the beginning of the last stage of impeachment, the interim President plans to have private audiences with senators who have avoided to declare publicly their vote or who are likely to switch sides.

The government's order is also to allow parliamentary amendments to the budget and "meet last minute demands."

Throughout this Tuesday, ministers made calls and received congressmen and senators, repeating that the goal was to obtain "only the 54 votes needed."

The assessment behind the scenes, however, was that, to consolidate Temer's image, it is necessary to have a "safety margin".

If Temer becomes the definitive President, he thinks of addressing the country before the inauguration ceremony at the Congress. He was also advised to anticipate the speech on national radio and TV chain he intended to make on September 7.

Translated by MARINA DELLA VALLE

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	Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
	Interim President, Michel Temer