Heads of Brazil's Executive, Legislative, Judiciary talk public security
Brazil's President Michel Temer highlighted the “unprecedented” nature of the meeting between the heads of the three branches held Friday (Oct. 28).
Brazil's President Michel Temer highlighted the “unprecedented” nature of the meeting between the heads of the three branches held Friday (Oct. 28). The assembly was the first between Senate head Renan Calheiros and Supreme Court Justice (STF) Chief Justice Cármen Lúcia.
According to Temer, the main topic of the discussion was public security, which he says “afflicts every Brazilian.” It is the government's duty to discuss the topic, especially with regards to the country's penitentiary system. In his view, meetings on public security between the three branches should start taking place every three or four months.
The meeting also served to help Congress and the STF overcome the crisis between the two branches, Calheiros said.
“I take this opportunity to say that I am very proud to be president of the National Congress at the precise moment when President Cármen Lúcia is president of the STF. Her character is the model Brazilian people are identified by,” he stated.
This week, Calheiros and the justice were in a public argument regarding Operation Metis, launched by the Federal Police. Calheiros rebuked the operation, which conducted searches at the congressional police headquarters, and as a result further criticized the judge who authorized the move as well as Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes. Cármen Lúcia responded by stating she would take offense for any statement uttered against judges.
Even after the meeting was over, Temer attempted to cool down spirits by saying there was a “declared harmonious atmosphere,” and that such disputes are tackled piecemeal.
During the assembly, Cármen Lúcia announced that the STF has ruled the immediate use of the Penitentiary Fund for the construction of new prisons and the renovation of existing ones. The federal government has earmarked $244.54 million for the purchase of equipment for the National Security Force as well as state policies. The National Force is expected to the total seven thousand members.
Public security
The topic of the meeting, as released by the presidential palace, was public security. The idea is to have all three branches build a national pact on the matter, in a bid to seek solutions to the problems recently observed in such states like Rio Grande do Norte, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Sul, and Rio de Janeiro.
Public security—an issue that falls under the responsibility of state governments—is facing a “dire” scenario, which requires the involvement of all three branches, Temer argued. Despite the assembly attended by high-ranking government officials, the agenda is still to be debated by governors and security secretaries.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Heads of Brazil's Executive, Legislative, Judiciary talk public security
