The Man with Bolsonaro's Fate in His Hands
BY CREOMAR DE SOUZA | SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Rather than initiate impeachment, House Speaker Arthur Lira is busy advancing his own agenda.
BRASÍLIA – As President Jair Bolsonaro’s self-made institutional crisis rattled Brazilian politics in recent weeks and months, another man has taken advantage of the chaos to advance his own agenda – and consolidate power.
Arthur Lira, the speaker of Brazil’s House of Representatives, holds all the cards in the form of hundreds of requests for the president’s impeachment that he alone can bring to light. But rather than wade into Bolsonaro’s showdown with the Supreme Court, Lira is quietly working to steer the House in a direction that serves his own purposes. In fact, after the president’s rally on Sep. 7, Lira gave his own speech adamantly supporting democracy – neither naming the president nor raising the issue of impeachment.
An astute politician who can foresee scenarios and perceive his opponents’ weaknesses, Lira has already become one of the most powerful speakers in recent years. Elected with Bolsonaro’s support, some predicted he would serve as the president’s puppet. Instead, he has managed to pull the strings of a very delicate political game, thriving in an atmosphere of intense polarization.
A center-right congressman for a decade, Lira was elected speaker in February on a promise to give space and voice to all political forces in the House. Instead, critics say he has begun to act like those he once criticized, moving to strengthen the power of traditional party leaders like himself. For example, Lira has overseen recent changes to the House’s internal rules that have concentrated a great deal of power in his hands. He has also made it harder to postpone votes or delay debate due to lack of consensus, depriving minority lawmakers of an opportunity to leverage their bargain power.
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https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/the-man-with-bolsonaros-fate-in-his-hands/
Arthur Lira
Jair Bolsonaro