The Right Marches on Brazil
The Right Marches on Brazil
Brazils interim government is orchestrating a stunning transfer of power to the countrys elites.
by Sabrina Fernandes
5.25.16
Michel Temer in 2010. Michel Temer / Flickr
Brazils new interim president Michel Temers motto seems to be: Injure all at once, and perhaps, one day, return benefits little by little. Existing social gains, especially those won by the Workers Party (PT), are already being eroded. His government hopes the Brazilian people will swallow this bitter pill in hopes of a vaguely defined payoff later.
The domestic popular outcry and international opposition which could turn into a diplomatic crisis if more countries recall their ambassadors have only accelerated this process.
Fearing that the impeachment might not stick, Temer is trying to accomplish the coups mission as quickly as possible: remove as many rights as he can, transfer the weight of the economic crisis from the elite to the working class, and contain the anti-corruption outcry.
While Dilma Rousseffs second term was the least progressive of the past four PT administrations, Temer seems intent on proving even Rousseffs least enthusiastic supporters right by demonstrating that what is bad can always get worse.
The Temer Agenda
One of Temers first moves was to assemble an all-male, all-white cabinet that better suits a military regime than a diverse, populous democracy.
More:
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/05/brazil-coup-impeachment-rousseff-temer-pt-corruption/