Temer Says He Has No Thought of Resigning and Will Appeal if Electoral Court Orders Removal from Office

12/23/2016 - 12h16

President Michel Temer said this Thursday (the 22nd) that he has no thought of resigning, and that he will file "one appeal after another" if the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) rules that the action calling for removal from office of the Dilma-Temer ticket moves forward.

"I haven't given it a thought," said Temer (referring to resigning as President) over breakfast with journalists at the Alvorada Palace. "If there is a decision [by the TSE to remove the ticket from office], there will be one appeal after another," he concluded.

The President underscored, however, that he will "obey" the final decision of the Judiciary, whatever it may be.

In the first half of next year, the TSE is scheduled to rule on a suit brought by the PSDB, currently one of the parties in Temer's coalition, calling for the removal from office of the PT-PMDB ticket for alleged abuse of political and economic power in the 2014 presidential elections.

Tied by at least three of the Odebrecht witnesses who have made plea bargains to alleged illegal practices, Temer insisted that he has not "undermined" the investigation known as Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash), but that there can't be "an accusation coming out every week."

"I asked to speed things up," he emphasized.

The President admitted that leaks of the content of testimony by company witnesses "creates a climate of instability in the country" by striking at the heart of his government, citing his name and those of two of his chief assistants, Ministers Eliseu Padilha (Chief of Staff) and Moreira Franco (Partnerships and Investments).

The President did, however, leave open the possibility of undertaking a ministerial reform next year to assuage allies unsatisfied by scant participation in his government.

UNPOPULARITY

Temer also said that he is taking advantage of the unpopularity of his government to implement measures that are considered unpopular but that are, in his opinion, "necessary for the country," such as Labor and Pension reforms.

"A government that is extraordinarily popular can't adopt unpopular measures," the President noted, concluding, "I'm taking advantage of this supposed unpopularity to implement unpopular measures."

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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