President of Chamber of Deputies splits with government

One day after revealing that his party, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), was eager to leave the government coalition, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha, announced formally on Friday (Jul 17) his breakup and said that he will use his position as a politician to attempt to convince the PMDB to follow suit.

The decision was made following an allegation that Cunha was given $5 million in kickbacks to award a drillship lease for Petrobras with the company Toyo Setal. The accusation was made by executive Júlio Camargo in a testimony heard Thursday (Jul 16) by Judge Sérgio Moro, in charge of Federal Police-launched Operation Car Wash.

Cunha reiterated that there has been an attempt on the government's part to make him vulnerable. “It's clear to me that [Operation Car Wash] is an orchestration of the government,” he said. In his view, the government has interfered in the probes, even though members of the Workers' Party (PT) have been implicated. “The government holds a grudge against me, can't stand me, and does everything to defeat me.”

In the afternoon, the President's Office released a note regarding Cunha's decision, declaring that his is a “stance of strictly personal nature,” and that “the government hopes this attitude is not reflected on the decisions or actions of the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, which must not be biased or personal.”

In addition to arguing for the harmony of the Three Powers, the note points out that the PMDB, of which vice-President of the Republic Michel Temer is a member, has been a part of the government coalition ever since former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was first elected.

The release also mentions a number of ministers and congressmen, all of whom fellow members of the PMDB. “[They] have had and still have a key role in the government,” the text reads.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

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