Brazil Is Throwing a Big Impeachment Party
Anna Edgerton annaedge4
April 14, 2016 — 9:12 PM PDT
Brazil Knuckles Down for Impeachment Sunday Spectacle
[email=?body=Brazil%20Is%20Throwing%20a%20Big%20Impeachment%20Party%0ABy%20Anna%20Edgerton%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fbloom.bg%2F1XyLN9z%0ABloomberg&subject=Brazil%20Is%20Throwing%20a%20Big%20Impeachment%20Party]il[/email]
On Sunday, at 2 p.m., the bitter political drama that has all but paralyzed Brazil will take its climactic turn. The country is ready. Barricades are up on the esplanade in front of the National Congress. A big soccer match has been rescheduled, shopping malls may close. Huge outdoor screens will broadcast the vote by the Chamber of Deputies that could put President Dilma Rousseff a hair’s breadth from impeachment.
The tension is palpable, and Rousseff’s adversaries and backers are stoking it for an edge in a decision that looks too close to call. Before voting begins, demonstrations will mount in big cities and small towns, with pro-Rousseff forces clad in Workers-Party red, pro-impeachment activists decked out in the flag’s yellow and green. Speaker Eduardo Cunha plans to give the showdown a spectacle-like feel from the start, reading aloud the names of all 513 lower-house member in a showcase roll call.
Eduardo Cunha
Photographer: Lula Marques/Bloomberg
“Neither side is totally certain they have the votes they need,” said Paulo Calmon, a political science professor at the University of Brasilia. They’re “trying to create a herd mentality.”
By staging the event on a Sunday, when Brazilian families typically gather at home or in bars or restaurants with TV sets blaring, Cunha has guaranteed maximum exposure, even for people trying to avoid politics.
The speaker is just one of many caught up in a long-running anti-corruption blitz that has put top executives and politicians behind bars. And more than half the members of the congressional panel that recommended the impeachment vote take place are under investigation for everything from alleged campaign financing irregularities to environmental offenses.
As for Rousseff, the current impeachment accusation against her is that she used accounting tricks to hide a budget deficit, which she says isn’t a crime that warrants impeachment. The president has denied any wrongdoing. Still, in the view of many Brazilians, she’s guilty of far worse, presiding over an economy that has sunk into a crippling recession.
“As a citizen, I feel like a clown, just another part of this political theater,” he said. “For this vote to have any legitimacy, it has to happen where the people can see it.”
A last-minute legal challenge to the impeachment proceedings was denied late Thursday. After some six hours of deliberations, the Supreme Court upheld the lower house’s voting schedule.
The pro-impeachment camp needs two-thirds of the lower house to take its side. Cunha has said deputies will have less than a minute each to state their positions in a voice vote. Newspapers are tallying which way they may go with scoreboards that shade photos of those against in red, those in favor in blue, the undecided in gray. By most observers’ measures, if the lower house endorses impeachment, the Federal Senate will follow.
Pixuleco
Photographer: Lula Marques/Bloomberg
Lula is staying in a hotel where local media spotted an impeachment enthusiast dressed to look like Pixuleco, a caricature of the former leader in prison stripes that’s popular with protesters. Pixuleco, which first showed up as an inflated balloon, has a Twitter account, one of dozens waging the social-media battle in the war for influence. Fans have photoshopped the figure into famous shots, sitting on the bench beside Forest Gump, watching the Beatles’ stroll on the Abbey Road album cover, on the moon with a U.S. flag.
Public pressure could be a decisive factor, said Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo. “The protests are extremely important. We’ve reached a situation where protests against impeachment are also coming out strong, rivaling those who defend impeachment.”
The website is littered with parodies of Rousseff speeches -- a remix of one she gave saluting the yucca root went viral -- and other lampoons. One enterprising digital artist pasted the heads of Rousseff and other politicians onto the bodies of the dancers in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.
There have been more pro-Rousseff rallies in recent weeks too, organized by labor unions, groups affiliated with the Workers’ Party and celebrities including the singer Chico Buarque, who echos Rousseff’s message that impeachment without a crime is a coup d’etat.
For their part, Rousseff defenders contend that if the impeachment were legitimate, it wouldn’t have taken four and half months to convince Congress that the most unpopular president on record by some measures should be booted.
Come Sunday, riot police and troops will try to keep impeachment backers on one side of the barricades, government supporters on the other. Some people lament the existence of a wall, others worry the fencing is too flimsy, because those who travel to the capital for the event are likely to be the most passionate about the outcome.
“When you have great crowds of people with very high emotions,” said Calmon, the professor, “it’s difficult to know what’s going to happen.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-15/impeachment-sunday-brazil-cooks-up-rowdy-made-for-tv-spectacle
Anna Edgerton annaedge4
April 14, 2016 — 9:12 PM PDT
Brazil Knuckles Down for Impeachment Sunday Spectacle
- Decisive vote set for Sunday in bitterly divided country
- Inflatable Lula has a Twitter account in the social-media war
[email=?body=Brazil%20Is%20Throwing%20a%20Big%20Impeachment%20Party%0ABy%20Anna%20Edgerton%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fbloom.bg%2F1XyLN9z%0ABloomberg&subject=Brazil%20Is%20Throwing%20a%20Big%20Impeachment%20Party]il[/email]
On Sunday, at 2 p.m., the bitter political drama that has all but paralyzed Brazil will take its climactic turn. The country is ready. Barricades are up on the esplanade in front of the National Congress. A big soccer match has been rescheduled, shopping malls may close. Huge outdoor screens will broadcast the vote by the Chamber of Deputies that could put President Dilma Rousseff a hair’s breadth from impeachment.
The tension is palpable, and Rousseff’s adversaries and backers are stoking it for an edge in a decision that looks too close to call. Before voting begins, demonstrations will mount in big cities and small towns, with pro-Rousseff forces clad in Workers-Party red, pro-impeachment activists decked out in the flag’s yellow and green. Speaker Eduardo Cunha plans to give the showdown a spectacle-like feel from the start, reading aloud the names of all 513 lower-house member in a showcase roll call.
Eduardo Cunha
Photographer: Lula Marques/Bloomberg
“Neither side is totally certain they have the votes they need,” said Paulo Calmon, a political science professor at the University of Brasilia. They’re “trying to create a herd mentality.”
By staging the event on a Sunday, when Brazilian families typically gather at home or in bars or restaurants with TV sets blaring, Cunha has guaranteed maximum exposure, even for people trying to avoid politics.
Crippling Recession
Cunha is the showmaster, a Brazilian Democratic Movement Party member who came out against Rousseff last year, around the time that prosecutors revealed he was under investigation for allegedly hiding money related to corruption in a Swiss bank account.The speaker is just one of many caught up in a long-running anti-corruption blitz that has put top executives and politicians behind bars. And more than half the members of the congressional panel that recommended the impeachment vote take place are under investigation for everything from alleged campaign financing irregularities to environmental offenses.
As for Rousseff, the current impeachment accusation against her is that she used accounting tricks to hide a budget deficit, which she says isn’t a crime that warrants impeachment. The president has denied any wrongdoing. Still, in the view of many Brazilians, she’s guilty of far worse, presiding over an economy that has sunk into a crippling recession.
‘Political Theater’
Some Brazilians back impeachment because they’re fed up with the lousy economy and waves of corruption scandals. Eyel Carvalho, 30, is one of those. He also wants the whole thing to be over. The demonstrating in Brasilia has often made his job providing logistical services to banks and government ministries “almost impossible.” He applauded the decision to have the vote on a Sunday because that will ensure transparency -- and won’t interrupt the work week.“As a citizen, I feel like a clown, just another part of this political theater,” he said. “For this vote to have any legitimacy, it has to happen where the people can see it.”
A last-minute legal challenge to the impeachment proceedings was denied late Thursday. After some six hours of deliberations, the Supreme Court upheld the lower house’s voting schedule.
The pro-impeachment camp needs two-thirds of the lower house to take its side. Cunha has said deputies will have less than a minute each to state their positions in a voice vote. Newspapers are tallying which way they may go with scoreboards that shade photos of those against in red, those in favor in blue, the undecided in gray. By most observers’ measures, if the lower house endorses impeachment, the Federal Senate will follow.
Inflatable Lula
Rousseff’s office said she’ll probably watch the proceedings from the presidential palace. Vice President Michel Temer, her successor if she’s ousted, will be in Sao Paulo. Former President Luiz “Lula” Inacio da Silva, her predecessor and mentor, is already in Brasilia.Pixuleco
Photographer: Lula Marques/Bloomberg
Lula is staying in a hotel where local media spotted an impeachment enthusiast dressed to look like Pixuleco, a caricature of the former leader in prison stripes that’s popular with protesters. Pixuleco, which first showed up as an inflated balloon, has a Twitter account, one of dozens waging the social-media battle in the war for influence. Fans have photoshopped the figure into famous shots, sitting on the bench beside Forest Gump, watching the Beatles’ stroll on the Abbey Road album cover, on the moon with a U.S. flag.
Public pressure could be a decisive factor, said Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo. “The protests are extremely important. We’ve reached a situation where protests against impeachment are also coming out strong, rivaling those who defend impeachment.”
‘High Emotions’
Protests against Rousseff since she narrowly won re-election in 2014 have had a familiar rhythm, organized weeks ahead of time via Facebook, Twitter and other sites. In Brasilia, people gather at the National Museum of the Republic around 10 a.m. and march to the Congress building. On Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro and Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo, activities usually start in the afternoon. Central plazas across the country are overtaken by crowds singing the country’s anthem and protest songs popularized on YouTube.The website is littered with parodies of Rousseff speeches -- a remix of one she gave saluting the yucca root went viral -- and other lampoons. One enterprising digital artist pasted the heads of Rousseff and other politicians onto the bodies of the dancers in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.
There have been more pro-Rousseff rallies in recent weeks too, organized by labor unions, groups affiliated with the Workers’ Party and celebrities including the singer Chico Buarque, who echos Rousseff’s message that impeachment without a crime is a coup d’etat.
For their part, Rousseff defenders contend that if the impeachment were legitimate, it wouldn’t have taken four and half months to convince Congress that the most unpopular president on record by some measures should be booted.
Come Sunday, riot police and troops will try to keep impeachment backers on one side of the barricades, government supporters on the other. Some people lament the existence of a wall, others worry the fencing is too flimsy, because those who travel to the capital for the event are likely to be the most passionate about the outcome.
“When you have great crowds of people with very high emotions,” said Calmon, the professor, “it’s difficult to know what’s going to happen.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-15/impeachment-sunday-brazil-cooks-up-rowdy-made-for-tv-spectacle
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Oil resources and political conflicts: the parties’ race to control Kirkuk’s wealth
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Clock: Waste in ports exceeds “theft of the century”
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: The countries of the region want to invest in Iraq
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Electricity fees exhaust farmers and drain 20% of their production costs
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Interior warns against harboring and employing violators of the foreigners’ residenc
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» The National Bank of Iraq building was attacked by a bomb east of Baghdad
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» It enters illegally and increases the unemployment rate.. Warnings about “foreign workers” in Iraq
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee reveals two reasons preventing the resumption of oil exports to Türkiye
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A representative considered it a “scandal”... Sudanese agreed to supply Kurdistan with 720 tons of g
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Resources: Difficulty in resuming oil exports through Türkiye
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament raises political division
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Soon.. voting on amending the law on the foundations of equivalency of certificates
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Iraqi workers celebrate their International Day
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq exports to America more than 4 million barrels of oil
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» “Quadruple Summit” regarding the “Development Road” project
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Oil and white products
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Specialists call for monitoring and regulating the entry of foreign workers
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq will witness a revolution of projects to invest in water wealth
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Launching funding for the salaries of civilian and military retirees for the month of May
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Parliament reveals Erdogan's position on Iraq's water shares: He did not give clear approval
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Finance launches funding for the salaries of civil and military retirees for the month of May
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» It may lead to "dividing the region"... revealing an imminent announcement to postpone the Kurdistan
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» The Kurdish opposition addresses Baghdad: Do not respond to the request of the Kurdistan government,
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Sudanese sends gas to Kurdistan after the electricity collapse and the bombing of Kormor
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani makes a quick visit to the Interior Ministry and meets with senior officers: Be ready and
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» On their International Day.. Iraqi workers: Our rights are absent and our economy is fragile
Today at 4:14 am by Rocky
» Government official: Iraq has become a center for drug trade and smuggling
Today at 4:12 am by Rocky
» Cabinet decisions do not include votes on budget schedules, and Parliament criticizes the delay
Today at 4:10 am by Rocky
» Retired workers complain of poor living conditions
Today at 4:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Issawi renews his commitment to running for parliament: I will submit only to God
Today at 4:06 am by Rocky
» A Kurdish party refuses to settle the salaries of employees in the region's banks and files an accus
Today at 4:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Sectarianism in Iraq is not social but political
Today at 4:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the seventh meeting of the Supreme Committee of the Strategic Development Road Proj
Today at 4:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the seventh meeting of the Supreme Committee of the Strategic Development Road Proj
Today at 3:59 am by Rocky
» Finance announces the launch of financing retirees’ salaries
Today at 3:56 am by Rocky
» In just two weeks, the Sudanese is awaiting an action plan from the relevant ministries in agreement
Yesterday at 3:35 pm by Rocky
» A thousand dinars every month.. An expert predicts the shape of the final journey of dollar prices
Yesterday at 3:32 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil: The budget deficit is under control
Yesterday at 3:28 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary proposals to impose an economic blockade on Iraq
Yesterday at 3:18 pm by Rocky
» His advisor: Al-Sudani succeeded in digital transfer in banks
Yesterday at 3:12 pm by Rocky
» Economist reassures: Financial liquidity is available and there are no risks to the Iraqi dinar
Yesterday at 3:10 pm by Rocky
» Iraq is preparing to bid farewell to the blonde old woman and end the UNAMI mission
Yesterday at 2:46 pm by Bama Diva
» utube MM&C 4/30/24 Projects - Confidence Building - National Bank of Iraq
Yesterday at 7:24 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government is serious about moving to a diversified economy and supporting the indust
Yesterday at 7:18 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The dollar exchange rate is still high
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky
» The Finance Committee reveals the total transfers today in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» Minister of Industry: Iraq does not have iron ores suitable for production and we depend on imports
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» “The Dilemma of Economic Decisions”... Implementing a gasoline price increase despite opposition fro
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» Ukrainian trade explodes with a “surprise”: Iraq has contracted with a “fake” Ukrainian company to d
Yesterday at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Iraq is preparing to invest in the largest gas field
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» An economic expert for Nina: The World Bank’s expectations that Iraq will achieve a high growth rate
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» The UAE buys cheaper Iraqi oil to increase its exports of “more expensive crude”
Yesterday at 6:40 am by Rocky
» The largest gas field in Iraq is close to seeing the light: a wealth that will reduce the import bil
Yesterday at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Minister of Resources: Water storage in dams is at its best
Yesterday at 6:37 am by Rocky
» Sadiqoun demands that Taqadum give up all positions in exchange for the presidency of Parliament
Yesterday at 6:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani inaugurates the continuous casting factory at the General Company for Steel Industries in
Yesterday at 5:28 am by Rocky
» Iraq exports to America more than 4 million barrels of crude oil and its derivatives in a month
Yesterday at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are committed to workers’ rights and reconstruction projects will not stop
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» The Parliamentary Development Institute organizes a workshop on the right to information law
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Integrity: The judiciary is making a great effort to resolve the theft of the century
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: The government holds responsible for the delay in sending the budget schedule
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Economist: Iraq faces a shortage of 3.5 million housing units
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Hour: Sudanese’s visit to Washington did not address the “American exit”
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Planning clarifies the position on contracts and wages from the job number platform
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» New country legalizes cryptocurrencies
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» The UAE's Dana Gas announces the resumption of work in the "Kormor" field
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» The International Comprehensive Shopping Festival kicks off in an Iraqi governorate
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor gives good news to the workers: Wait for next week
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Iraq's water storage is at its best... Will it address the agricultural situation?
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» The government takes a number of new decisions
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor announces an increase in the salary of retired workers by 100 thousand dinars
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Service projects in Iraq “will not stop”
Yesterday at 4:44 am by Rocky
» 90 percent of it comes from across the border. Parliament unveils a new strategy to limit currency s
Yesterday at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Iraq is implementing a "modern strategy" to get rid of a "Sumerian custom" that depleted the waters
Yesterday at 4:37 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport announces the opening of 48 collective lines in six governorates
Yesterday at 4:35 am by Rocky
» The Federal Integrity Commission announced the arrest of waste of public money, violations and manip
Yesterday at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Government Media: 3 million citizens have registered so far on the Ur electronic portal
Yesterday at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Labor Day in Iraq.. 6 million workers with an unknown future and stolen rights, and 90% of them “wit
Yesterday at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Iranian Chamber of Commerce: Iraq's investment budget is 150 billion dollars, and our share in it mu
Yesterday at 4:25 am by Rocky
» On International Workers’ Day... The President of the Republic: We stress the necessity of working t
Yesterday at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We affirm our commitment to all Iraqi workers, men and women, to provide a work envi
Yesterday at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Progress threatens to withdraw from the political process in the event of infringement on its quota
Yesterday at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Bloomberg: Iraq violated its oil export quota and did not adhere to OPEC+ decisions
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 6:23 pm by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the importance of following up on the understandings reached between Iraq and Ame
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 3:56 pm by Rocky
» From "everything is imported" to "food made by one's own hands"... Parliamentary reference to Iraq's
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 3:51 pm by Rocky
» The government hires an external auditor for the Trade Bank of Iraq
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 3:45 pm by Rocky
» Among them relates to the path of development...the full decisions of the Council of Ministers sessi
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 3:37 pm by Rocky
» Al-Maliki warns of the Washington Embassy's plans to threaten Iraqi society
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 11:51 am by wciappetta
» utube MM&C 4/28/24 Iraq Dinar - IQD - Banks - Merge Regionally - Water - Labor -Jobs - Dinar Value
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:44 am by Rocky
» Iraqi Business: There are no financial fears in Iraq for three years, and fear regarding the path of
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:34 am by Rocky
» Parliament is discussing with the Finance and Retirement Law amending the Landlords Law
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:27 am by Rocky
» Customs and taxes... Parliamentary Finance talks about huge sums of money that do not enter the stat
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:23 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil threatens to sue the Ministry of Oil over raising gasoline prices
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:21 am by Rocky
» Iraq begins installing radiation screening gates at border crossings
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:17 am by Rocky
» Hong Kong launches Asia's first Bitcoin and Ether ETFs
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi discusses with the delegation of the Jordanian Senate the achievement of economic integ
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 10:07 am by Rocky
» Parliament draws attention to the work of security companies in Iraq and identifies the party concer
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 9:59 am by Rocky
» How does a Sudanese choose the countries he visits and what are his messages?
Tue 30 Apr 2024, 9:54 am by Rocky