Fernando Henrique Cardoso: “Brazil lives under rule of law”
Fernando Henrique Cardoso 
Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said Monday (Apr. 18) that Brazil is a democracy living “under the rule of law,” a fact that was proved this Sunday (Apr. 17) in the street demonstrations on the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff.
“The people are out on the streets, they've grown mature, and, despite the difficult moment, there were no clashes. That's very important. The democratic feeling is taking root,” he stated.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who ruled the country from 1994 to 2002 spoke after participating in a debate promoted by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation today on Brazil's rule of law. In Cardoso's view, “isolationism must be avoided and we should remain calm, because Brazil belongs to all, and it's not the time to throw stones at one another.”
He argues the country has a number of problems to tackle, not just in economy, but also in politics, and that, in order to achieve the conditions required for governability, the investigations under Operation Car Wash must continue “whomever it may hurt.”
Respect for the Constitution
During the debate, Cardoso criticized what he termed presidencialismo de cooptação (literally “cooptation presidentialism”), a system made stronger, he claims, by the large number of political organizations, which are forced to negotiate in order to achieve the majority of congresspeople.
The former president also rebutted the arguments used by the parties and the social movements backing Rousseff according to which the impeachment proceedings were initiated spuriously and were based on a plot by the opposition.
“We must join forces to maintain freedom, respect, rather than insisting on something that's not true. There's no coup. Everything was done in compliance with the law, following the proceedings as prescribed by the Constitution,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of new elections, Cardoso warned against violating constitutional principles. “It's always hazardous to leave the Constitution aside. Going through an impeachment process is bad enough as it is, now imagine creating a new rule that's not in the Constitution,” he concluded.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Fernando Henrique Cardoso: “Brazil lives under rule of law”
