Brazil New Election Calls Grow as Crisis Snares Vice President

With political turmoil engulfing much of Brazil’s leadership, a proposal for new presidential elections this year is beginning to gain traction.

A Supreme Court Justice on Tuesday ruled that Vice President Michel Temer should face impeachment proceedings just like President Dilma Rousseff. Judge Marco Aurelio Mello said Lower House chief Eduardo Cunha had overstepped his authority by throwing out the impeachment request against Temer in 2015. The full Supreme Court must still ratify Mello’s decision, which Cunha appealed.

The ruling may lead to a potential showdown between the Supreme Court and Congress. It also highlights how Temer may be just as vulnerable as Rousseff, deepening a crisis that has exacerbated a recession and left investors wondering who will govern Latin America’s largest nation.

 “Brazilians aren’t happy with the choices out there, they want a voice in who will lead the country,” said David Fleischer, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Brasilia. “It’s not easy to get approved but it could be done.”

Senator Valdir Raupp of the PMDB party, the country’s largest, on Monday proposed for a presidential vote to coincide with municipal elections in October. Former environment minister Marina Silva, who placed third in the 2014 presidential race, on Tuesday endorsed a proposal to bring forward general elections from 2018.

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