Rio security intervention ‘a smokescreen’

Rio de Janeiro’s security intervention is a “smokescreen” for government agendas, warn opposition politicians. The intervention, which was announced in the early hours of Friday, February 16, will see national armed forces on the streets of Brazil’s most famous city through the end of 2018. For the first time since Brazil declared its 1988 Constitution, policing in the city will fall under the control of the army.

Politicians closely aligned with President Michel Temer’s government have clamored to defend the measure. Efraim Filho, Lower House leader of the Democrats party, believes that the decree’s necessity will mean that congressmen vote the measure through with ease. “It is in tune with what society thinks. Citizens need protection,” he told Correio Braziliense. “We cannot be held hostage to crime and drugs anymore.”

But political analysts, public security specialists and politicians from rival parties have levied accusations against the Temer government’s move. In addition to questioning the move’s necessity and capacity of controlling crime in the city, multiple question marks hang over the motives behind the measure.

Pension reforms up in the air

The government will be unable to vote on the pension reforms while the decree allowing military control in Rio is in place, as no changes to the Constitution can be made in a state of intervention. However, Rio’s secretary of institutional security General Sérgio Etchengoyen said on Friday that the decree could be repealed to pass the pension reform, and then reinstated. Temer himself has since affirmed this.

However, there is skepticism at present over the government’s capacity to gain the 308 votes necessary to pass the pension reforms. Despite representatives largely agreeing...