This time last year, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was on her way out the door for a corruption scandal involving the state-run petroleum company Petrobras, and upon her eventual removal from office in August of last year, Michel Temer became the new President of Brazil. However, roughly nine months after being put into power by the impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, Temer’s approval rating stands at 4 percent and it is poised to become lower if at all possible. The reason for this is that earlier this week the newspaper O Globo reported Mr. Temer was recorded verbalizing an endorsement of paying bribes to other political figures in Brazil. Although the allegations have been denied, whether they are true or not, democracy in Brazil has taken another ill-afforded black eye because those in power cannot resist the allure of corruption. Other key figures in the latest corruption scandal include Eduardo Cunha, who was the President of the Chamber of Deputies (the equivalent to U.S. Speaker of the House).
In addition to this, Temer was already accused of supporting bribery although agreements with prosecutors prevent him from being charged at present time. It is with a large smattering of irony that Temer was aggressive in his pursuit of the truth against Rousseff in her corruption probe and is now caught up in one himself and denying involvement. Part of the reason for this behavior is because of the political divide in Brazillian party politics, former President Rousseff is a member of the Worker’s Party of former socialist President Lula, whereas Mr. Temer is of the Brazillian Democratic Movement Party which favors traditionally neoliberal economics which includes decreased social spending. Regardless of party identification in Brazil it is evident Corruption in the large South American country has no party and that if Brazil is to move forward and address issues of the people, it must first continue to try and clean house and rid their state of all corrupt persons and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
