Politics

Lynchpin of 2016 impeachment returns to electoral politics

Former House Speaker Eduardo Cunha was convicted of multiple crimes, but a favorable court decision has put him back in the game. And he wants President Jair Bolsonaro’s support

Eduardo Cunha greets former President Dilma Rousseff in 2015. A year later, he would lead the impeachment drive against her. Photo: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
Eduardo Cunha greets former President Dilma Rousseff in 2015. A year later, he would lead the impeachment drive against her. Photo: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress

Eduardo Cunha, the former House speaker who kicked off the impeachment process ousting former President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, and who was then expelled from Congress by his peers, has recovered his political rights – at least temporarily. An injunction has suspended the effects of his impeachment, which until this week meant his political rights were stripped of him until 2027.

The Brazilian Report has confirmed that the politician will run for a House seat for the Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), although he will not run in his home state of Rio de Janeiro, but rather in São Paulo. Mr. Cunha expects to have the support of President Jair Bolsonaro, to whom the PTB has pledged total support.

Mr. Cunha’s return could mark yet another major change in fortune for one of Brazilian politics’ main characters in recent years – a man who went from one of the...

Don't miss this opportunity!

Interested in staying updated on Brazil and Latin America? Subscribe to start receiving our reports now!