Bolsonaro reiterates commitment to Constitution in Congress address

In his first visit to Congress since he won the presidential race, Jair Bolsonaro restated his commitment to the Constitution, adding that all government branches must uphold their oath to it.

The president-elect arrived in Brasília to stay in the capital for two days.  Today (Nov. 6), he spoke in the lower house during the ceremony celebrating the Constitution’s 30th anniversary, attended by the heads of all three government branches—President Michel Temer (Executive), Eunício Oliveira (Legislative), and Dias Toffoli (Judiciary), in addition to a number of lawmakers.

“In a democracy, there is only one course of direction—that of our Constitution. Together, we will keep building the Brazil our people deserve. We have everything to be a great nation,” he said, while mentioning he was happy to return to the Chamber of Deputies, where he served seven tenures as federal deputy, starting 27 years ago.

In the same ceremony, Temer said the Constitution brought “undeniable” advancements to Brazilian democracy, and mentioned his former position as representative to point out that democratic state is synonymous with the phrase rule of law.

Temer expressed his support for the idea suggested by Supreme Court Chief Justice Dias Toffoli of having the heads of the three branches to meet on a regular basis. “I know Justice Toffoli has talked to President Jair Bolsonaro, and to us, as well as Congress members, so that a meeting between the branch heads can take place every month or every other month so that they can set the country in the direction indicated by the 1988 Constituent Assembly. I am convinced that the the Constituent Assembly indicated the best way,” he said, arguing that “the people are the true holders of power.”

Earlier on, Dias Toffoli had also stated that, after the elections Brazil would need to find “a convergence point” amid disagreements.

“This is the moment to reiterate our commitment to the preservation and longevity of our Constitution. A country requires its Constitution to be constantly brought up to date. This is the time to celebrate a great national pact so we can walk down the path for the fundamental reforms we have to face,” he said.

Toffoli said he has witnessed how much Congress has managed to update laws by voting on amendments and bills, and pledged that the Judiciary branch will continue to act as moderator in all of the country’s crucial matters.