President Michel Temer of Brazil is in choppy waters, four months after the impeachment of his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff. His majority in Congress has shown signs of crumbling, his bill to cap spending passed the Senate by a much-narrower-than-expected margin, and some leaders in his own coalition are publicly voicing discontent. On and off protests over the past months against corruption and government spending cuts are a reminder of widespread discontent among Brazilians with their political class. Most ominously, perhaps, is that investigations into claims that his 2014 election campaign was illegally financed are gaining steam. That line of inquiry could, in theory, lead to his ouster before his term expires at the end of 2018. He’s pledged not to seek a second term.
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