Rodrigo Pacheco: Congress not to allow political setbacks

The president of Brazil’s National Congress, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, said the institution will not allow setbacks to impact the democratic strides made in Brazil.

In a Monday (Aug. 16) post on social media, Pacheco also stated that dialog between branches is key, and argued for the search of a consensus.

“Closing doors, destroying bridges, arbitrarily acting on one’s own reasoning are a disservice to the country. At this moment of crisis, therefore, it is more than ever recommended that we seek consensus and respect of differences. Patriots are those who unite Brazil, not those who want to divide it. And the democratic advances seen have the strict surveillance of Congress, which will not allow setbacks,” he declared.

The remarks were made after President Jair Bolsonaro said, on Saturday (14), that he will ask the Senate to reopen the case against Supreme Court Justices Alexandre de Morais and Luís Roberto Barroso, who is also head of the Superior Electoral Court. The move was announced on social media.

According to the president, “Moraes and Barros have long overstepped constitutional boundaries in their conduct.”

Also on Monday, lower house speaker Arthur Lira posted he will be the advocate of harmony among branches.

“Brazil will always have in the president of the Chamber of Deputies [i.e., the lower house speaker] a fierce constitutional advocate of harmony and independence between branches,” he declared.