Rodrigo Maia elected Brazil's lower house speaker

Deputy Rodrigo Maia, of the Democrats (DEM), was elected speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil's lower house. Six candidates disputed for the votes of the 513 deputies. Maia got 293 votes, followed by Jovair Arantes, of the PTB (Brazilian Labour Party), with 105.

Maia is to occupy the post up to the end of 2018, and had taken the reins of the congressional house when his predecessor Eduardo Cunha was ousted.

The election confirmed he had been a favorite with the presidency and a bloc comprising 13 parties, including President Michel Temer's PMDB (the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party).

Maia's candidacy was targeted by four motions with the Supreme Court. Some were authored by deputies questioning his legitimacy. Authorities from the Judiciary branch understood that Maia's was not a case of re-election, which is illegal according to the rules of the lower house.

On the controversy, he remarked: “A lot has been said about strengthening our House; a lot has been said about strengthening the Chamber, but once again the main actor of our election was the Judiciary, and, incredible as it may seem, it was a decision made by the politicians themselves. This decision has been weakening our House.”

In his view, in order for the country to get out of the crisis, the so-called Federative Pact should be discussed with a view to unburden the coffers of the states and municipalities with the better distribution of funds raised by taxing. The candidate also advocated the reforms in labor and in the pension system.

Maia has headed the Chamber for seven months. During his administration, he has maintained good relations with the Executive branch. He believes not only the autonomy of the three branches matters, but also the harmony between them.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira