Good morning! Is Brazil heading to a de facto parliamentary system? After dam collapse, Vale registers BRL 64bn in losses. Brazil’s lost decade. President Bolsonaro convicted for homophobic slur. Brazil’s lost decade.
Is Brazil heading to a de facto parliamentary system?
Brazilian philosopher Roberto Romano once compared Brazil’s presidency to a giant with clay feet. “He is mighty and all, but his power is also fragile. Without Congress to support him, the giant will crumble,” he said. We’re seeing that on full display under President Jair Bolsonaro. After shunning Congress, his administration has been collecting defeat after defeat since the legislative year began, on February 1.
The latest blow is a decision by the Special Budget Committee to take Brazil’s money laundering enforcement agency (Coaf) from under Justice Minister Sergio Moro’s jurisdiction, and put it back under the purview of the Economy Ministry, as it was in previous administrations. Mr. Moro’s decision to join the cabinet had been conditioned to his control of Coaf—a key element in his fight against corruption.
On the same day, the same committee voted to limit the role of Brazil’s tax...