Good morning! President Jair Bolsonaro’s strategy to name a new prosecutor general could lay grounds for impeachment requests—say experts. New developments in the Marielle Franco case. And the mega auction of oil reserves could be postponed. (This newsletter is for platinum subscribers only. Become one now!)
Not naming a prosecutor general is grounds for impeachment
Raquel Dodge will complete her term as Brazil’s prosecutor general in two weeks—but Jair Bolsonaro has yet to name her successor. Instead, he wants to “try out” one of Ms. Dodge’s deputies as an interim for a while, before making his final pick. There is a problem, though. One of the responsibilities of the prosecutor general is to investigate the president if necessary—which makes Mr. Bolsonaro’s intended “test drive” unconstitutional.
Why it matters. Legal experts have alerted that not picking a new prosecutor general is an impeachable offense. The interim solution could also aggravate the institutional crisis between the Executive and Legislative branches, as Mr. Bolsonaro would pick someone for the job, bypassing the Senate—which is allowed to confirm or deny a nomination.
Red flag. This would be a risky move for President Bolsonaro, as talks of impeachment have already circulated in Brasília in recent...