1 Impeachment or Coup ? Twitter narrative disputes in Brazil (original) (raw)
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Understanding Presidential Crises and Impeachments: the Case of Dilma Rousseff in Brazil
2017
On August 31 2016, the Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff was removed from her role as Head of State by the Senate. Her dismissal was the culmination of an impeachment process that started in April of the same year. This event marks the end of almost two decades of leadership of the Worker’s Party (the Partido dos Trabalhadores), which was founded by Dilma’s mentor and main political supporter, former president Inácio Lula da Silva. Steep economic growth and a roughly stable government characterized the period leading up to Dilma Rousseff’s presidency. Indeed, President Lula was widely popular among the population, in particular the poorest ones, thanks to his socially inclusive initiatives such as the famous program Bolsa Família. Therefore, her dismissal turned out to be the most disruptive event since the impeachment of Fernando Collor de Mello in 1992. Indeed, a number of scholars interrogated themselves on the reasons behind the Brazilian presidential crisis. However, the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff should not be seen as an isolated case, nor it should be studied as such. In fact, many studies show that presidential crises and impeachments have been a common feature of the Latin American region. Using a comparative approach when studying the Brazilian case is the best option to understand what led to Ms. Rousseff’s dismissal, and, more generally, what are the principal factors and events behind crises and interruptions in presidential systems of governments. These kinds of studies and comparisons help us better understand past crises and teach us how to prevent future ones. According to one group of academics, some features of the presidential system of government are enough to cause a presidential crisis. Some even believe that this system could facilitate democratic breakdowns. Among the main issues of presidential systems, these scholars identified fixed terms, multipartism, lack of majority support and non-cohesive coalitions. Another group of political scientists agree that specific events in a country are what cause presidential crises. In short, they see macroeconomic problems, social unrest and scandals that involve the government as the main drivers of a crisis. All the theories that these two groups developed are based on studies of past presidential crises and breakdowns and are crucial for understanding what happened in Brazil. This dissertation is structured in the following way: the first chapter will briefly describe the rise to power of Lula and the Worker’s Party, which set the bases for Dilma Rousseff’s presidency. It will then portray her two terms and the main challenges it faced, as well as the impeachment process. The second chapter will analyze the main theories on presidential crises and impeachments, in particular in Latin America. They will be divided between institutionalist and ‘external’ or ‘exogenous’ causes for presidential failure. The last chapter will apply said theories to the case of Dilma Rousseff, and we will try to provide the best approach to study her impeachment as well as future cases of presidential crisis.
Soft Coup in Brazil: A Blow to Brazilian Democracy
2016
The impeachment this week of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff represents the most significant test for Brazil’s institutions since the end of its military dictatorship in 1985. After the Senate voted Thursday to begin an impeachment trial of the country’s first female president, less than halfway through her second term in office, one politician described the events as representing the “saddest day for Brazil’s young democracy.”1 Since the post-dictatorship transition, impeachment requests have been filed against each and every one of Brazil’s presidents, but none were carried through.2 Rousseff, however, will be only the second president to experience an actual trial. Portrayed as a crusade against corruption, the current process against a democratically elected president rests on unclear budgetary charges and bears the mark of a right wing retaliation against Rousseff’s Worker’s Party, which has governed the country for the past 13 years. This process is further complicated by t...
Politeja
Over the course of less than a quarter of a century, two Brazilian Heads of State – Fernando Collor in 1992 and Dilma Rousseff in 2016 – have been removed from office by impeachment. There has been much controversy surrounding both proceedings, particularly the latter. The article seeks to discuss briefly the history of the proceeding of impeachment in Brazil and its significance for the country’s political life after 1988. Through an analysis of the impeachment cases of President Fernando Collor and President Dilma Rousseff, and overview of the literature on impeachment in Latin America, the paper will address the similarities and differences present in both cases in which a Brazilian Head of State was removed from office. The last part of the article will further discuss the disputes among Brazilian jurists triggered by differing evaluations of this legal measure and, in particular, the more recent case of its implementation in Brazil.
Impeachment, polItIcal crIsIs and democracy In BrazIl
Revista de Ciencia Política (Santiago), 2017
The year 2016 was marked by the deepening of the crisis that interrupted two decades of unusual political stability in Brazil. Although it has been the most significant event, Dilma Rousseff's impeachment did little to " stop the bleeding, " as was shown by the subsequent arrest of the former president of the Chamber of Deputies , Eduardo Cunha (PMDB), and the unfolding of Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato). Besides the economic problems, the Brazilian political system also faced a serious crisis of legitimacy: the main parties were put in check, and a period of uncertainty regarding electoral and partisan competition opened up. In this article, we will review the sequence of the events, exploring some of the factors that explain it, and, aware of the fact that we are in the middle of process with an undefined outcome, we would like to take advantage of the opportunity to resume the debate on the performance of Brazilian democracy as well its perspectives. RESUMEN El año 2016 estuvo marcado por la profundización de una crisis que interrumpió dos déca-das de inusual estabilidad política en Brasil. A pesar de ser el acontecimiento político más significativo del año, el enjuiciamiento de Dilma Rousseff hizo poco para detener el " sangra-do, " como lo demostró la posterior detención del ex presidente de la Cámara de Diputados, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB), y el despliegue de la Operación Coche Lavado (LavaJato). Suma-do a los problemas económicos latentes en el país, el sistema político brasileño se enfrenta a una grave crisis de legitimidad: los principales partidos están cuestionados lo que facilita un período de incertidumbre en términos de competencia electoral y partidista. En este artículo, revisamos la secuencia de los eventos ocurridos en 2016, explorando algunos de los factores que los explican, conscientes que estamos aún inmersos en un proceso con un resultado indefinido. Aprovechamos esta oportunidad para reanudar el debate sobre el desempeño de la democracia brasileña y sus perspectivas a futuro. Palabras clave: democracia, presidencialismo, crisis, presidencia interrumpida, Brasil FELIPE NUNES • CARLOS RANULFO MELO 282
This article shows the specifics of the current political process in Brazil, due to the impeachment of the country's president in 2016 and the current situation of the ruling elite, as well as the advancement of its development course on the eve of the upcoming presidential election in 2018. The problems of the current research include acquaintance with the current political model of the development of the Federal Republic of Brazil, which experienced the reformatting after the impeachment procedure of the active head of the state Rousseff in 2016 and the complexity of its adaptation to the current domestic political, economic and foreign policy (regional) factors, as well as the possibility tts prolongation after the presidential elections in 2018. Although the article recites the main political figures in the current political process, their influence and politcal orientation and some fragments of their political programs.
Generative Curses: Presidential Impeachments in Brazilian New Republic (1992-2016
Twice in the course of a generation, the Brazilian president got impeached. The 1992 impeachment, in juridical terms, was a precarious affair. The tension-stricken process was followed by the Real plan and assured the presidential election of Franco’s Economy minister Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB). The young Brazilian democracy had an impeachment and lived through this. In 2016 there is only a thin semblance to the 1992 drama. The 2016 impeachment remains, in juridical terms, a precarious affair. Rousseff was ousted in May 2016. Her shrinking base brought Temer good news and sealed her fate. She recapped old promises of political reform and plebiscites, which PT promptly vetoed, leaving a reelected president left for dead. By acquiescing to Dilma’s scapegoating, PT preventively attempts to preserve Lula’s profile (under investigation in “Car Wash”) for the near future. Still, a risky move. As New Republic’s machinery gears towards municipal elections (with STF at the wheel) and public anxiety demobilizes streets, Temer put the Itamar mask on. His “interim” government features PSDB prominently (Serra is his minister of Foreign Affairs). Although no miraculous economic feat remains in sight, PMDB and PSDB got the upper hand. Will the still young Brazilian democracy have a second impeachment on such terms, and live with the outcomes?