Result of Vote Concerning Second Indictment Will Display President Temer's Strength

10/25/2017 - 11h31

The lower house of Brazil's congress will decide, on Thursday (the 25th), whether or not it will proceed with charges brought forward by the Prosecutor General's Office against Michel Temer. The result of the vote will help gauge the president's strength for the 14 remaining months of his term.

The Temer administration believes that the president will be victorious, just as he was back in August, and is committed to conquering at least 263 votes in favor of the president: the same number of votes obtained when the first indictment was brought forward.

However, congressmen who are close to the president of the lower house, Rodrigo Maia (DEM), are attempting to narrow Temer's margin.

Their goal is to give Congress greater leverage so that Maia and the legislative branch as a whole can take on a greater role when it comes defining the country's agenda for economic recovery.

The relationship between Temer and Maia is currently strained. Though the congressman hasn't addressed their relationship specifically, he has been quoted saying "in politics, one doesn't make friends, especially not forever".

Maia's allies believe that Temer, who is being charged with obstruction of justice and running a criminal organization, will bar the charges with 30 less votes than the first time around. The Temer administration believes it will obtain somewhere between 260 and 270 votes.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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